2023-11-05 21:27:07
I had the opportunity to meet some incredible scientists who were working on the next big discovery when I was in Dakar.
I had an incredible trip to Senegal last month. I always love having the opportunity to travel and see first-hand the remarkable work that the foundation’s partners are doing. These visits make me more motivated than ever to work every day – and my time in Senegal was no exception.
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Senegal is a particularly interesting country to visit because it has made exemplary progress in improving the health of its population through a focus on community-led care and many years of sound policy. Some statistics are staggering: Since 1992, the country has cut its stunting rate in half. Since 2000, the number of Senegalese children dying before their fifth birthday has fallen by 70 percent. And since 2005, the number of women giving birth in health facilities has increased from 62 percent to 80 percent. This is the perfect place to talk regarding progress.
One of the highlights of my visit was a trip to the Institut Pasteur de Dakar, or IPD – a research center that has been pushing the boundaries of global health for almost a century. The facility does it all: IPD plays a key role in monitoring outbreaks in the region; produces millions of diagnoses each year; serves as an educational hub for the next generation of healthcare and biomanufacturing workers; and will soon resume vaccine manufacturing.
→ ALSO READ: Macky Sall honors Bill Gates and encourages the creation of a biotechnology industry in Africa.
It was inspiring to meet brilliant Senegalese scientists who are doing remarkable work to keep their country healthy. Senegal’s health transformation is, in large part, a testament to their dedication and deep understanding of their communities, and I loved talking to them regarding how they are constantly evolving to meet the needs of the moment. For example, when COVID hit in 2020, IPD quickly set up a test manufacturing facility. They are now expanding this capacity to be able to produce other essential tests, such as that for measles and rubella.
I was also delighted to attend the Grand Challenges initiative annual meeting in Dakar last month. The Gates Foundation launched the Grand Challenges initiatives 20 years ago with one goal in mind: to identify the biggest health problems and award grants to researchers who might solve them. Our hope was to inspire more brilliant scientists to think more ambitiously regarding health transformation in low-income countries. We hoped to create a scientific community that had the support to support research and development to benefit billions of people whose health needs had been neglected.
→ ALSO READ: Bill Gates: “I am very happy to be in Senegal”
In 2003, we offered 14 Grand Challenges. The initial list included developing a vaccine that did not require refrigeration, creating a TB treatment for latent infection, and inventing a needle-free drug delivery system. Over the years, we’ve issued more than 200 challenges – and we even issued our first AI-specific call to action earlier this year.
I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time in Senegal with incredible scientists working on the next big breakthrough. Here are 5 of the most impressive innovations I’ve seen:
1. An AI trainer teaching healthcare workers in India how to treat high-risk pregnancies. Here is a devastating statistic: A woman dies in childbirth every 2 minutes. Amrita Mahale and the Armmi team created an AI assistant that guides healthcare workers in diagnosing and managing high-risk pregnancies. It is currently used by more than 1,300 healthcare workers in India.
2. An AI tool that detects TB in children faster than ever. TB is the world’s leading infectious killer – and children who get it often have a form that is difficult to diagnose. Madhukar Pai and the AI team at McGill University have developed a tool that uses AI to diagnose TB in children using chest X-rays. This tool has the potential to speed up the diagnosis of TB in children, which might save lives.
3. A new way to transform waste into fertilizer. Research shows that synthetic fertilizers might contribute up to 2 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. This innovation offers a method of converting waste into fertilizer that might not only help reduce emissions, but also improve soils and increase agricultural yields.
4. Smart glasses that help surgeons see better during operations. It’s hard to believe that such a simple innovation can have such a huge impact, but the AI-augmented glasses I’ve seen can help surgeons visualize better and more accurately, which can reduce operation time and improve patient outcomes.
5. A handheld computer that diagnoses plant diseases. Plant diseases can devastate crops and threaten food security, especially in low-income countries where agriculture is a vital part of the economy. This quick, easy-to-use and accurate diagnostic tool can help farmers detect diseases early and take steps to protect their crops.
These innovations have the potential to transform millions of lives, and they are just a few examples of the incredible work I have seen in Senegal. There’s so much going on, and I can’t wait to see what the next big breakthroughs will be.
(Source: gatesnotes.com)
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