Page 100 - Technology and Innovation Journal - 19-1

438 OLSEN & ELLIOTT

Several of the 2016 winners profiled below are of the winners and their technologies below (1). You
associated with academic institutions. Further details can read about previous winners in Technology and
on the Patents for Humanity Program, as well as the Innovation 16(2) and 17(3).
complete list of current and past winners, are available
at www.uspto.gov/patentsforhumanity. University-Affiliated Recipients
Case Western Reserve University (CWRU)
Program Background
The first Patents for Humanity competition Accurately diagnosing malaria is a difficult
problem, with an estimated half of global cases
launched in 2012 as a pilot program. Since then, undiagnosed. The standard microscope test has low
it has attracted support from the White House and sensitivity with up to 30% false positives and 20%
members of the Senate and has become an ongoing false negatives. This causes people infected with
program. The third round of Patents for Humanity malaria to go untreated and people without malaria
award recipients were announced in September 2016 to receive anti-malarial drugs, contributing to drug
and honored at an awards ceremony in November. resistance. Engineers and doctors at Case Western
Applicants compete in five broad categories of Reserve University (CWRU) designed a rapid, accu-
humanitarian needs: rate, low-cost malaria diagnostic test to address this
• Medicine - any medical-related technology, problem. The Magneto-Optical Detection (MOD)
such as medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, or device uses lasers and magnets to diagnose malaria
medical devices in a completely new way: by detecting iron-laden
• Nutrition - technologies that improve nutrition, by-products of the parasite in the blood. This provides
such as higher-yield crops, more nutritious food results in minutes with just a finger-prick blood sam-
sources, food preservation, storage, or prepara- ple. The device can be ten times cheaper per test than
tion the current standard and can be run by ordinary care-
• Sanitation - improving lives by addressing givers with minimal training. CWRU has conducted
environmental factors such as clean water, waste field trials diagnosing malaria in the Amazon, India,
treatment, air pollution, and toxic substances and Kenya. Since receiving an honorable mention in
• Household Energy - technologies providing the 2014 Patents for Humanity program, CWRU has
power to energy-poor homes and communities begun working with manufacturers to produce the
for household needs, including lighting, cook- device at scale for wider user.
ing, and heating
• Living Standards - technologies that raise living GestVision
standards to empower people to escape poverty, Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy complica-
such as literacy, education, communications, infor- tion that is the leading cause of prenatal death for
mation delivery, access to markets, and micro- mothers and babies worldwide, mostly in low- and
finance middle-income countries. Although most deaths
are preventable, approximately 63,000 women die
In addition to public recognition, winners also from PE annually. In developed countries, PE can
receive a certificate for accelerated handling of select be diagnosed by regular doctor visits and laboratory
matters at USPTO (i.e., patent examination, ex parte tests, allowing treatment before severe symptoms
reexamination, and examination appeals) for any one if caught in time. However, in developing regions
technology of their choosing. without regular prenatal care, PE is often undiag-
nosed until serious complications such as seizure,
2016 Awards stroke, or organ failure occur. Start-up company
The award recipients and honorable mentions for GestVision has developed a rapid, affordable urine
the 2016 competition notably include a university, test that caregivers can use to diagnose PE in low-
a government agency, and two private companies, resource settings. The test detects misfolded proteins
including a university spin-off. Read more about each in urine associated with PE, which may be shown by