NIHR Global Health Research Group on Digital Diagnostics for African Health Systems We are developing new “digital” diagnostic tests for infectious diseases. Our approach uses a handheld electronic device where the test is performed on a microchip. The tests have similar accuracy to large laboratory machines, but are rapid, low cost, and portable. The test results are immediately linked to a smartphone which enables data transmission, so that we can monitor the detection of different diseases in different locations.  
This project is being undertaken by more than 40 researchers from African institutions, the UK, and the Netherlands. The researchers have a wide range of expertise, from electronic and design engineering, through to clinical medicine and health systems research. We will recruit 10 African PhD students to receive training and undertake research on digital diagnostics. Projects will be based in Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Sudan, and Zambia, with some technology development in the UK. 
The project will run between 1st August 2022 and 31st July 2026.
The project addresses the unmet need for access to accurate diagnostics in low and middle income countries. At present, less than half of the population of Africa have access to essential diagnostics. Without accurate diagnostics, the correct treatments cannot be given, and public health interventions cannot be targeted to where they are most needed. We will evaluate the potential of digital diagnostic technology to tackle common problems including malaria and other childhood infections. Our overall aim is to generate evidence to support the development and implementation of new “digital diagnostic” tests to tackle infectious diseases in Africa. The digital diagnostics are hand-held analysers, using a microchip to detect different organisms causing infection, connected to a smart phone to provide instantaneous data transfer for disease surveillance. The specific objectives underpinning the project are:
1. Evaluate the perceptions of users and stakeholders about the new diagnostic technology, including community members, patients, clinical staff, healthcare managers, and policy makers in different African countries
2. Evaluate the usability and diagnostic performance of digital diagnostic tests for the detection of malaria parasites, and detection of mutations in the parasites which make them resistant to current treatments 
3.  Evaluate the usability and diagnostic performance of digital diagnostic tests to determine the cause of illness in unwell children with suspected infection
4.  Evaluate the usability and diagnostic performance of digital diagnostic tests to detect contamination of water or food with organisms which can cause illness in humans 
5. Develop a user-friendly interface for the digital diagnostic tests by working with the people who would use the new diagnostic tests
6. Understand the conditions necessary for these new diagnostic tests to bring greatest impact to healthcare systems, at local, national, and international levels
7. Train a network of researchers, including a cohort of 10 African PhD Fellows, to be future leaders in the development, evaluation, and implementation of digital diagnostic technology