Jun 1, 2010

The H1N1 09  Virus: The First Pandemic of the 21st Century. A historic announcement in April 2009 caused global panic and brought immediate attention to the state of public health.  The Mexican Secretariat of Health reported an outbreak of respiratory disease that was later classified as a novel swine origin influence A, H1N1 09.  The WHO quickly...

Mar 28, 2010

Just as he rolls out of bed and before brushing his teeth, MIT PhD student Lawrence David uses a cotton swab to save a sample of the bacteria in his mouth.  When he gets to his lab, he stores this sample alongside the other saliva and feces samples he has been collecting for the last eight months.  Later in the day, he will collect stool samples.  David and...

Feb 28, 2010

Elegant Solutions in Diagnostics. Paper is a ubiquitous material, fundamental to our natural ability to communicate thoughts and document our past. Its origins can be traced back to ancient China (second century AD)1, and the value of paper as a carrier of information still permeates all aspects of society. In recent years, the intrinsic properties of paper –...

Feb 28, 2010

A novel approach to creating sustainable technology platforms for the developing world through profit / non-profit partnerships. A sick child wanders through a village somewhere in sub-Saharan Africa holding his mother’s hand. Years ago this mother and child walked for days to get to a hospital for a diagnosis, but today they travel only to...