Press Releases
Harvard University Grants Exclusive Licensing Rights For Breakthrough Diagnostic Technologies to Diagnostics For All
Move Reflects University's Commitment to Innovation, Public Health and Serving the Disadvantaged in the Developing World
Cambridge, MA, February 23, 2010 - Harvard University and Diagnostics For All, Inc. (DFA) today announced an agreement under which Harvard granted DFA exclusive rights to certain diagnostics technologies developed in the laboratories of Professor George Whitesides, the Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor at Harvard University. DFA is a non-profit enterprise dedicated to the development and commercialization of low-cost, easy-to-use, point-of-care diagnostic devices designed specifically for the developing world.
"The license granted to DFA represents the commitment of Harvard University to assure that new technologies developed at Harvard are deployed and used to benefit the world’s neediest populations” said Isaac Kohlberg, Senior Associate Provost and head of Harvard’s Office of Technology Development. “As a leader in university technology transfer, Harvard has an obligation, consistent with its academic and public service mission, to help serve the disadvantaged and the developing world, thereby benefiting society".
"This agreement is an important milestone for DFA,” said Una S. Ryan, President and CEO of DFA. “Our mission is to improve public health and save lives in the developing world through the development of groundbreaking diagnostic devices that are inexpensive and specifically designed for resource-poor settings. Our simple-to-use paper-based diagnostics will enable more effective treatment of those in need."
DFA’s first project, supported in part by a grant awarded Harvard by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a low-cost, point-of-care paper-based device for measuring liver function – critical for monitoring the adverse side effects of the powerful drugs used to treat HIV/AIDS and TB, and for managing the effects of viral hepatitis in developing world settings outside the reach of urban hospitals or laboratories. According to the 2007 RAND Corporation research report “Estimating the Global Health Impact of Improved Diagnostic Tools for the Developing World,” new diagnostics have the potential to save millions of lives annually in the developing world.
DFA’s pioneering approach to improving healthcare in the developing world has been widely recognized, and DFA won both the Harvard Business School and MIT $100K business plan competitions in 2008 – the first non-profit to win the MIT $100K contest and the first time any organization has won both. In addition to creating diagnostic devices for the most economically disadvantaged, DFA foresees licensing its technology for the developed world in areas such as pediatrics, emergency response, public health screening, environmental control, veterinary medicine, and for the military.
DFA’s advanced first generation devices use microfluidic channels patterned in paper to wick biological fluids to zones where colorimetric or electrochemical assays occur, without the need for external electricity, clean water, or skilled staff. Results can readily be transmitted by cell phone to central laboratories, where desired.
"We established DFA as a non-profit organization so that it could pursue its mission of developing diagnostic devices for the underserved populations of the world, free of the pressures inherent in for-profit organizations to deploy resources to maximize shareholder returns,” said George Whitesides, co-founder of DFA. “I’m delighted to see this technology being targeted to those in greatest need in the developing world."
About Diagnostics For All
Incorporated in 2007, Diagnostics For All is a 501(c)(3) non-profit enterprise creating low-cost, easy-to-use, point-of-care diagnostic devices designed for the developing world. These devices are elegantly simple and inexpensive. They require minimal training to use, minimal sample preparation, and no electricity or additional equipment to process a sample. For more information, please visit: www.dfa.org or email info@dfa.org.
About George Whitesides
George Whitesides is the Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor at Harvard University. He joined Harvard’s Department of Chemistry in 1982 and has received dozens of honors including the National Medal of Science, American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal and the Dreyfus Prize in the Chemical Sciences. Dr. Whitesides is co-founder of companies with a combined market capitalization of over $20 billion, including Genzyme Corp., GelTex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (acquired by Genzyme), Theravance Inc. and Surface Logix Inc. For more information, please visit: http://gmwgroup.harvard.edu.
About Harvard University’s Office of Technology Development
Harvard's Office of Technology Development (OTD) is responsible for all activities pertaining to the evaluation, patenting and licensing of new inventions and discoveries made at Harvard University and Harvard Medical School. OTD also serves to further the development of Harvard technologies through the establishment of sponsored research collaborations with industry. OTD’s mission is to promote the public good by fostering innovation and translating new inventions made at Harvard into useful products available and beneficial to society.