Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics FIND

Neglected diseases, TB, HIV and malaria are major causes of mortality, illness and lack of economic progress for the poorest. Rising problems of antimicrobial resistance and new disease outbreaks challenge global health security.

Because neglected diseases affect the world's poorest people, commercial markets that traditionally drive pharmaceutical company investment in new product research and development (R&D) are lacking. As an important global driver for product development, public-private product development partnerships (PDPs) have been established. PDPs seek to coordinate the contributions of the private, public, academic and not-for-profit sectors to address the scientific, economic, legal and political challenges that exist in developing new health technologies for the use in developing countries, and in ensuring their rapid and widespread use. FIND is currently the only PDP that focuses all its efforts on diagnostics development for poverty diseases.

FIND’s overall goal is that health-care providers in low and middle income countries are empowered to identify infectious diseases early and treat them appropriately with new diagnostic products and guiding (WHO) policies; and implement elimination programmes for neglected diseases of poverty. FIND’s portfolio includes Hepatitis C, HIV, TB, Malaria, Sleeping Sickness, Chagas, Buruli ulcer, Leishmaniosis.

The target populations of FIND’s work are the most vulnerable populations at risk of contracting deadly poverty-related and neglected diseases. In the next 5 years, FIND will play a critical role in supporting the treatment and control of malaria, TB and neglected tropical diseases (Sleeping sickness, Leishmaniasis, congenital Chagas disease, Buruli ulcer), while enhancing health system efficiencies through better disease diagnosis, reduced drug wastage and burden on tertiary health and laboratory facilities and staff. FIND is also helping to accelerate access to new diagnostic tools that will make a difference in the fight against antimicrobial resistance and preparedness of new outbreaks.

• Policy support: National and global policies, plans, strategies and roadmaps are influenced by research/programmes, and products are included in national guidelines.
• Catalyze development: Robust pipeline shaped by relevant diagnostic needs and technical suitability
• Market entry and access: New products enter the market (i.e. registered and commercially available) to support disease control and elimination efforts and new diagnostic products are sold or distributed in low-and-middle income countries. 

Principaux résultats attendus:  

Policy support: 12 national policies etc. and 4 global (WHO) recommendations on new technologies, 2-3 outbreak roadmaps, 2 diagnostic fever algorithms developed.
At least 4 diagnostic products and 2 ‘other solutions’ (eg. Software) included.

Catalyze development: Prioritized needs met with appropriate diagnostic products: 10-14 products reach design lock, ready for trialing
New products clinically validated in LMIC settings: 20 clinical trials planned for completion: Fever/AMR:9; malaria:3; sleeping sickness: 3; leishmaniosis: 1; other NTD:1
Infrastructure to enable rapid test development and validation developed.

Market entry and access: At least 7 registered diagnostic products
Country capacity for uptake of novel tools and implementation of comprehensive testing strategies tested.

Principaux résultats antérieurs:  

Through its programmes in tuberculosis, sleeping sickness and malaria, FIND has already delivered 14 new tests.

The rolling out of new tuberculosis diagnostic tests is estimated to save 400,000 lives each year. The first ever rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for sleeping sickness was made the mainstay of screening in Chad, DR Congo, South Sudan and Uganda, and WHO introduced the test for sentinel surveillance in 14 countries.

An improved blood transfer device that allows for safe collection and transfer of blood from a finger-prick for malaria rapid tests reached over 130 million patients in 2015.

FIND has worked with WHO, MSF and many other partners to rapidly facilitate the development and evaluation of improved diagnostics for Ebola, enabling early case detection, prompt contact tracing and remote supply chain management.

FIND interacts closely with both the public and private sectors through collaborations with over 250 partners.

World Health Organization, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM), Tropical Disease Research Programme (TDR), Swiss TPH, Medicines for Malaria Venture, Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), Swiss Malaria Group

Phase 2 01.01.2017 - 31.12.2020   (Completed)