The life-threatening African trypanosomiasis, also called sleeping sickness, is caused by protozoa of the species Trypanosoma brucei. A team at the Biocentre of the Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany, studies the pathogens and has now reported exciting news: The trypanosomes have a so far unknown enzyme which does not exist in humans and other vertebrates. This makes it a promising target for therapy.

Dr. Susanne Kramer and her team published the new findings in the journal PLOS Pathogens. “The enzyme is called TbALPH1,” the researcher details. “It triggers the degradation of messenger RNA and is totally different from the enzymes responsible for this process in higher organisms.”

The JMU researcher counts the Trypanosoma enzyme among the class of ApaH-like phosphatases which are of bacterial origin. Although this class of enzymes does not exist in vertebrates, it is found in other groups of animals. “We don’t know yet which function the enzymes have there. So we want to study next whether ApaH-like phosphatases from other organisms are equally involved in degrading the messenger RNA,” Kramer says.

Facts about sleeping sickness

Trypanosomes are wide-spread in sub-Saharan Africa. The worm-like parasites are transmitted by the bite of an infected tsetse fly. Each year, there are 30,000 new infections. Initial symptoms include headaches and joint pains followed by confusion, seizures and other symptoms in later stages. Finally, the sufferers fall into coma and die.

There are no vaccines available against the pathogens; the available drugs can have extreme side effects. So there is urgent demand for better medication to treat the disease. Trypanosomes not only infect humans. They also kill cattle, goats and other livestock thereby causing additional damage: In some regions of Africa, breeding livestock is hardly possible due to the trypanosomes.

Though paper-based health care is a thing of the past for many hospitals and clinics around the world, in West Africa it’s still the dominant standard.

Adegoke Olubusi wants to change that.

The tech entrepreneur, a recent graduate of the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, started OneMedical to help hospitals in West Africa go digital. His team has already begun that process in Nigeria, partnering with more than a dozen hospitals.

Now OneMedical is looking at big opportunity for new funding: the Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge. The team is one of 15 finalists in the digital innovation challenge, which includes a $10,000 People’s Choice Award open for votes through June 28.

Olubusi, who was born and raised in Nigeria before moving to Maryland for school about a decade ago, has visited his home country often in recent years to work on tech projects like KingsChat, a leading social media platform in Africa.

When his work brought him to hospitals, Olubusi says he found “chaos” in their record-keeping, complicating everything from patient data and billing to inventory. “It’s all on paper—it’s messy, inefficient, and there’s no way to analyze the data,” he says.

But in launching a startup to address these problems, he and his team knew they couldn’t simply transplant U.S. standards into hospitals that had never used electronic records before.

“We thought, ‘How can we make something simple and easy to adopt for hospitals to operate more efficiently?'” says Olubusi, who has also previously worked as an analyst for eBay, PayPal, and Goldman Sachs.

So he and his team—including rising Johns Hopkins junior Sami Ayele—sat down with health care workers in Nigeria to develop prototypes.

“Eventually that turned into an actual idea for a business, and a concept that a lot of people loved,” Olubusi says.

OneMedical offers a user-friendly platform to help hospitals simplify records and streamline processes, with the goal of improving both quality of care and profit margins. It includes a searchable database of patient records, along with features for tracking finances, staff, and medical supplies. The system runs offline at hospitals and syncs to the cloud when there’s an Internet connection available, and it’s accessible through any smart device or operating system.

Hospitals partnering with OneMedical in this early stage are seeing results such as shorter patient wait times and decreased workload for medical staff, the team says. Meanwhile, a waitlist is growing, with more than 25 facilities in Nigeria hoping to get on board.

OneMedical aspires to reach 125 facilities within the next year, ultimately fanning out to other parts of West Africa. The startup is currently part of the Y Combinator accelerator program and last year won Etisalat’s Innovation Award.

Now, with the Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge, the team is vying for a shot at a $100,000 grand prize, among other possibilities. OneMedical stood out from the more than 1,000 startups applying to land in the finals of the global competition, which seeks digital solutions to tackle economic, social, and environmental challenges.

OneMedical’s entry for Cisco’s $10,000 People’s Choice award includes a video pitch from Olubusi and partner Nick Moore. Votes from the public can be cast online through June 28, and Cisco will announce the winners from all categories on June 29.

Biomaterial is acquiring a huge demand for the treatment of different diseases and condition. They have got a special attention in the orthopedic segment. Many different type of implant are prepare by using biomedical. Increasing aging population is the major driver for the growth of orthopedic market in Europe Middle East and Africa. As this material did not cause any immunological reaction with the body, this makes it as a first choice of preference for manufacturing of the implants. Due to lack of exercise the many different bones and muscle related complication are occurred. This led to increase in the market of orthopedic biomedical in Europe and Middle East and Africa.
Europe, Middle East and Africa orthopedic medical market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.2% during forecasted period 2017-2023.

Segments:
Orthopedic Biomaterials Market is segmented on the basis of, by type of material which is Metals and Non-metals. Metals are further sub segmented into stainless steel, Titanium Alloy, Cobalt alloy and others. Non Metal is sub segmented into Ceramic (Alumina, Calcium Phosphate, Zirconium dioxide. Carbon and Other), Polymeric (Polymethylmethacrylate, Polyethylene, Silicone, Polyester and Other), Natural Biomaterials (Collagen, Chitin & Chitosan and Other) and Others.
On the Basis of application the market is segmented into Joint Replacement, fracture Fixation Devices, Tissue Fixation, Spine implants, Viscosupplementation and Other. Joint replacement is sub segmented into Hip replacement, Knee replacement, Shoulder and elbow replacement and other. Tissue fixation is sub segmented into interference screws, suture anchors and others. Spine implants is further sub segmented into spine fusion, other. Fracture Fixation Devices are sub segmented into Screws, Plates for Bones, Rods and other.

Regional Analysis
Europe and Middle East and Africa are the two major region of the market. Europe has the second largest market for orthopedic biomedical globally. Patient with high level of pain in the bones has no option other than joint replacement which improves the quality of life. Germany and UK are invest ample amount of capital in import of the implants. This can serves as an opportunities for the manufacturer to develop the market in this countries. Due to limited infrastructure development Middle East and Africa has a least orthopedic biomedical market.

The report for Europe, Middle East and Africa Orthopedic Biomaterial Market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different markets segments and regions.

A plant extract used for centuries in traditional medicine in Nigeria could form the basis of a new drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at The University of Nottingham have found.

Their study, published in the journal Pharmaceutical Biology, has shown that the extract taken from the leaves, stem and roots of Carpolobia lutea, could help to protect chemical messengers in the brain which play a vital role in functions including memory and learning.

The tree extract could pave the way for new drugs to tackle patient symptoms but without the unwanted side-effects associated with some current treatments.

The study was led by Dr Wayne Carter in the University’s Division of Medical Sciences and Graduate Entry Medicine, based at Royal Derby Hospital. He said: “As a population we are living longer, and the number of people with dementia is growing at an alarming rate. Our findings suggest that traditional medicines will provide new chemicals able to temper Alzheimer’s disease progression.”

Neurodegenerative diseases represent a huge health burden globally, placing pressure on health services and having a negative impact on the lives of patients and their families.

Researchers and drug companies are racing to discover new treatments for these disorders and have begun looking to plant extracts as a potential source of novel drugs.

In patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and myasthenia gravis, the activity of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, is reduced, leading to problems with memory and attention.

Current drugs – called acetylcholinesterase inhibitors – reduce the normal breakdown of acetylcholine. Extensive research is underway to find new versions of these drugs but with additional beneficial properties.

Carpolobia lutea, known more commonly as cattle stick, is a small shrub or tree found native to Central and West Africa. Herbalists in Nigerian tribes use the essence of the root as an aphrodisiac and the treatment of genitourinary infections, gingivitis, and waist pains.

It has also been reported to possess other anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, antimicrobial, antimalarial, and analgesic properties. This could be particularly important in Alzheimer’s disease as there is more evidence emerging that Alzheimer’s patients have inflammation in the brain.

The Nottingham study found that the plant was highly effective in preventing the breakdown of acetylcholine but had other beneficial antioxidant properties in fighting free radicals – unstable atoms that can cause damage to cells and contribute to ageing and disease – damage that may be exacerbated in Alzheimer’s disease.

On Thursday, 15 June, 2017, the African Innovation Foundation (AIF) announced the top 10 nominees who will be competing for the 2017 Innovation Prize For Africa (IAP). Among the shortlisted people was Gift Gana a Zimbabwean who invented a computer aided diagnostic system (Dr CADx) that aims to help the medical industry understand medical images more accurately.

The IPA is a platform that brings together people across Africa to showcase their innovations in healthcare, engineering, energy and communications sectors. This year, people from countries like Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Kenya, Liberia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe stand a chance to win some prizes. The grand prize is US$ 100 000 and the second prize is US$ 25 000. They also have a special prize of US$25 000 for a person who would have created something that has the most social impact. The remaining 7 nominees each receive a voucher of US$5 000. The prizes will be awarded on 18th July 2017 in Accra, Ghana.

Gift’s system aims to solve the problem of patients getting wrong or no treatment because medical images would have been misunderstood. This happens because there are not that many professionally trained people to read medical images (radiologists) on the continent, so most medical images end up being read by general doctors or others who might lack the expertise.

Dr CADx uses a technology that simulates how the human brain works ( deep learning), to recognize patterns that are characteristic of the disease in the images. Once an image is transferred to a computer with the software installed, making a diagnosis is as easy as uploading a photo to Facebook and getting a diagnosis in a few seconds. The current prototype achieves an accuracy of 82% which is an improvement on the 70% average for radiologists.

The system is designed to work with poor internet connectivity opening it up for use in many rural settings in Africa. If developed further, it’s applications could end up being more than just in medical image recognition for disease identification. It is truly an innovative idea that aims to solve problems in the medical sector and I hope that it wins one of the top 3 innovate awards.

Kabarak University is partnering with international organizations to develop a 500-bed, state-of-the-art, multi-disciplinary tertiary hospital to be located in Kabarak, Nakuru County.

In addition, the project scope will comprise of a 250 bed Kabarak University Hospital Nairobi and modernization of 23 mission of hospitals under Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK). The $450-Million medical campus is expected to commence operations in 2020.

Kabarak University Teaching Research and Referral Mission Hospital’s mission is to build an economically sustainable, center of excellence hospital that will deliver internationally accredited standards of care and is set to become a catalyst for strengthening healthcare services in Kenya, as well as furthering advanced research in the region.

Using the US Green Building Council’s LEED certification program, Kabarak University will design, build, maintain, operate an environmentally sustainable, cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. The Hospital Motto is: WE TREAT WITH GOD`S LOVE.

The project which will be set on 100 hectares of land will also develop medical tourism to Kenya leveraging the specialized treatment the hospital will offer.

Kabarak University has picked General Electric (GE) Healthcare to be the technology provider for the project. GE Healthcare will assist the university with infrastructure development, technology transfer, education and capacity building to support a better health system and patient outcomes. The project will be financed by US based Private Equity Sygec international among other stakeholders.

Farid Fezoua, President and CEO – GE Healthcare Africa said: “GE is honored to have been selected to serve as a technology partner to the Kabarak University Teaching Research & Referral Mission Hospital, bringing healthcare infrastructure modernization with a long-term maintenance to help strengthen primary and referral care.”

He added that this further affirmed GE’s commitment to supporting sustainable healthcare development in Africa through capacity building and skills development that are contributing towards nurturing the continent’s healthcare ecosystem.

The Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) for the project will include EIFFAGE (French based), EGMF (Belgium) and CMB (Italian).

The proposed Kabarak University teaching research & referral mission Hospital will provide advanced types of care and be capable of diagnosing and treating the most complicated cases. It will include specialities in cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, cancer, women and child health, stem cell and regenerative medicine, neurology and minimally invasive surgery, with the latest medical equipment such as MRI and CT scanners and nuclear medicine.

“As the first and the only mission referral hospital in the country, we will ensure that Kenyans have access to world-class care locally to reduce medical tourism outside the country,” Dr Henry Kiplagat, The Ag. Vice Chancellor.

Kabarak University will use the hospital to educate and train doctors, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals who are equipped not only to provide excellent care but to lead and transform health care institutions and systems to make them work more effectively for the people they serve.

In addition, by providing a working environment that meets the highest standards, the hospital hopes to attract Kenyan health professionals working abroad to return home, while retaining new graduates who might otherwise have left.

At completion, the project will provide a fully furnished and equipped referral mission hospital that has well trained and experienced doctors and nurses, connected to a network of mission hospitals that will allow world class diagnostic and treatment services through a fully equipped university hospital facility.

Further, Kabarak University Teaching Research and Referral Mission Hospital will be an anchor of medical education and a centre of disease control for Africa that will provide the infrastructure for emergency response to the continent. A properly equipped hospital will provide tertiary care and therefore ease the congestion for the more than 40 hospitals in the southern rift valley, lower north rift valley, central parts of Kenya, and the western region of Kenya as well as Eastern Uganda, southern Sudan and Somalia.

In addition, Kabarak University will establish a welfare programme funded by the university and philanthropists that will help patients who cannot afford the charges to get treatment.

Insurer Hollard planned “significant acquisitions” on the continent in the next few years and was partnering with global health insurer Cigna to offer health insurance to companies operating in Africa, said Brooks Mparutsa, executive director of Hollard’s international business.

Hollard, which already has offices in Zambia, Namibia, Mozambique, Botswana and Ghana, hoped to finalise the acquisition of a health insurance company in Kenya by the end of 2017, Mparutsa said last week. It wanted to secure a life insurance licence in Ghana by August and conclude a transaction in Nigeria in the next 18 months.

Hollard was also in discussions over a possible partnership with Resolution Insurance in East Africa and was keen to do an acquisition in West Africa, Mparutsa said.

Hollard is a privately held insurance company, majority-owned by the Enthoven family, which also own Nando’s.

At the end of 2015, it was SA’s second-largest short-term insurer, with an 11% share of the industry’s total premium income and ousting Old Mutual Insure, previously Mutual & Federal, from this position.

Hollard’s partnership with New York Stock Exchange-listed Cigna, dubbed Hollard Cigna Health, could see it break into a market that rivals have struggled to crack. Hollard is the distribution partner for Cigna.

Liberty Health, which provides medical expense cover to corporate customers in 10 African countries, continues to post losses. For the year to December, the unit’s loss rose more than 100% to R45m. MMI’s health business outside SA has also reported losses, although these narrowed for the six months to December.

The Hollard-Cigna partnership would provide health insurance, approved by in-country regulators, to multinationals operating across Africa, said Jason Stadler, president of Cigna’s international market division. Companies were inadequately served, with providers such as the British United Provident Association and Allianz focusing predominantly on the corporate expatriate market, Mparutsa said.

Hollard Cigna Health would serve expatriates and local employees of multinationals, including local companies with operations outside SA.

Cigna is in a strong position on the continent, having built up a network of 2,000 healthcare providers over decades.

In terms of the agreement, Cigna would be treated as a reinsurer, with a large portion of premium income ceded to it.

Stadler would not comment on the venture’s premium targets, saying only Cigna had “high growth aspirations”. Africa had a low insurance penetration and a growing burden of noncommunicable diseases, he said.

A local team that will be traveling to Uganda on a religious and medical mission met with Roger Ethier, Technical Director of Engineers Without Borders International at the Ranson Civic Center where Either designed pumps for the Community Garden. Ethier invented a solar powered water pump that is lightweight, portable, and can move 180 gallons an hour.

Ether’s engineering skills have been put to the test in some of the most remote and inhospitable locations in the world.

Pastor Tom Snyder and his “right-hand man” Mick Marpole met with Ethier and had many questions. “This could be a life changer,” Snyder said after seeing what the small package could do. The team was able to purchase a pump at a discount with non-profit Engineers Without Borders paying the difference in order to support the mission.

The pump is built to withstand the elements. It will be placed in a part of the world where there aren’t any spare parts or home improvement stores. “This is all prime stuff, the pumps, the relays. They don’t corrode, they don’t fail. The whole idea is (when) we bring them overseas they got to work,” Ethier said.

The pump is AC/DC and can work non-stop using A/C. Using solar power only can produce 720 gallons between charges. That can be used for drinking water, crops, or for the medical team. Many local churches have supported the mission in Africa and purchased land. Some of the land was used to plant corn to feed the orphan children. Water is a necessity in the hot dry climate. The pump can provide water to the dying crop.

“There is nothing like this at all in the market,” Ethier said. He holds the patient on the ‘Lil Sprout Portable Solar Pump’ invention.

“This could be revolutionary getting it into the right hands of the right people,” Snyder said.

In a press conference held at CAF Congo Town office over the weekend, the Executive Director of the Foundation, Fatu Gbedema, named the J.J. Dossen Memorial Hospital in Harper, Maryland County, C.B. Dunbar Medical Center, Gbarnga, Bong County, Government Hospital, Grand Bassa, C. H. Rennie Hospital, Kakata, Margibi County, the Curan Lutheran Hospital of Zorzor, Lofa County and the Gbeapo Health Center in Fish Town, River Gee County as facilities that are expected to benefit.

Madam Gbedema said the donation, which falls under the CAF Health Infrastructure Support Project (CHISP), is part of the foundation’s effort to support and improve healthcare delivery in Liberia.

She disclosed that the distribution of the items, which ranged from comprehensive sets of surgical equipment, catheters, gauze, bandages, examination beds, gloves, gowns medical furniture and consumable and non-consumable medical products, started at the C.H. Rennie Hospital and C.B. Dumbar Maternity Hospital on June 14, 2017; to be followed by the Liberian government Hospital in Buchanan and the Curan Hospital in Zorzor on June 19 and 20, 2017 respectively.

“In spite of the rainy season and the current road conditions in Liberia, CAF is doing everything humanly possible to deliver the last batch of our health infrastructure support project donation to the South East before the 27th of June.

The CAF team will be in Fish Town, River Gee County on June 24, 2017,” Gbedema noted.

She added that as part of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms put into place for the proper use of the items by the hospitals, CAF has included itself, the Ministry of Health, and community leaders in the hospital locales to conduct unannounced spot checks to ensure that the equipment and supplies benefit the estimated targeted one million people whose lives will be touched by the donations.

Speaking at a turn over ceremony at the C.H. Rennie Hospital in Kakata, the Chairman and Founder of the Cummings Africa Foundation, Alexander Cummings, asserted that health is one of the cardinal sectors of the country which needs lot of support and he and his family were glad to help.

“The Foundation’s objective is to empower and uplift Liberians in the health, education and agriculture sectors.”

“The health sector needs lots of support. And I believe primary healthcare is one of the key ways you can help many Liberians,” Mr. Cummings averred.

For her part, the Medical Director of the C.H. Rennie Hospital, Dr. Kumblytee L. Johnson, is describing the donation as a timely intervention, thanking CAF and promised to use the items for the intended purpose.

She explained that the hospital caters to 130 patients daily from across Margibi, Grand Bassa, Gbarpolu and Montserrado Counties, and performs over 25 minor surgeries including cesarean, hernia among others.

“With all what you have given, I am sure that it will help us tackle the problem of delay in catering to the needy people that you have brought these materials for. We assure you that we will use it maximally,” Dr. Kumplytee averred.

The Administrator of the C.B. Dumbar Hospital expressed his gratitude upon accepting supplies from CAF and termed the donation as timely.

Liberian medical doctor and scientist, Dougbeh Chris Nyan, is among the top ten nominees for the African Innovation Foundation (AIF) Prize for 2017.

A release posted by AIF online indicates that Dr. Nyan represents Liberia among other African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Morocco, Egypt, and Uganda.

The AIF includes Dr. Nyan among the nominees for his discoveries in healthcare solutions. He is regarded for developing a new technology for rapid detection of many infectious diseases using only one test.

His profile shows that his discovery of a rapid diagnostic test can detect and simultaneously differentiate at least three to seven infections at the same time within 10 to 40 minutes.

The AIF team is especially interested in Dr. Nyan’s discovery in the healthcare area because it observes that in many African countries, there is a lack of sophisticated diagnostic devices and limited expertise in high-tech diagnostics.

According to AIF, this impedes the clinical decision-making ability of healthcare providers.

“This test provides a solution to this clinical problem, and the innovation is easy to use in any setting and in rural areas,” AIF said.

AIF notes further that the device invented by Dr. Nyan is able to detect and distinguish multiple infections bearing the same symptoms, pointing out cases of yellow fever, malaria, and Ebola as examples.

“Whereas most testing methods take 3-7 days, this device gives test results in 10-40 minutes. This would provide a significant step in the detection and management of infectious diseases on the continent,” AIF noted.

“We are pleased to share with you the names of our IPA2017 nominees as we continue on our mission to catalyze the innovative spirit and unlock untapped potential in Africa.

“For the first time, this year’s nominees include innovators from Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Zimbabwe. Moreover, given the instrumental role African women play in transforming Africa, it is thrilling to see more women among the 10 nominees with game-changing innovations.

“By providing platforms to recognize innovation excellence in Africa and mobilizing for African innovators, we continue to live up to our credo of engaging, inspiring and transforming. The inspiring stories of these nominees remind us that innovation and African-led solutions are indeed the answer to Africa’s growth and prosperity,” said Walter Fust, AIF’s chairman of the Board.

The nominees will be contending for the award in Accra, Ghana on July 18. According to the AIF release, the innovators have demonstrated incredible proficiency through innovative solutions and addressing challenges in agriculture, value chain, healthcare, energy, communications, service industries, as well as surveillance using drone technology.

The African Innovation Foundation is celebrating its sixth-year Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) under the theme, “African Innovation: Investing in Prosperity.”

IPA is the premier innovation initiative on the African continent offering a grand share-prize of US$185,000 and incentives to spur growth and prosperity in Africa through home-grown solutions.

IPA has seen tremendous growth in applications and increasing interest from both innovators and innovation enablers over the years. To date, IPA has attracted more than 7,500 innovators from 52 African countries, making it a truly Pan-African initiative. IPA’s 2017 edition witnessed a record number of entries from over 2,530 innovators across 48 African countries. The foundation has supported past winners and nominees with approximately US$ 1 million to move their innovations forward. Due to exposure generated by IPA, past winners have gone on to secure over US$30 million in investments to grow and scale their businesses.

“Over the years, IPA has stimulated impactful and market-oriented innovations aiming at changing lives and transforming Africa. In this sixth edition, we want to promote more investment in home-grown innovations as well as intra-African collaboration and trade to allow the scaling up of viable innovations across borders. We are excited for the opportunity to work with our partners to ensure the innovations of the 10 nominees will be available to African markets and beyond. We invite you to join us and unlock the potential of African innovators, starting by investing in these 10 nominees,” said Pauline Mujawamariya Koelbl, IPA Director.