# The Center for Innovation in Point-of-Care Technologies for HIV/AIDS at Northwestern University (C-THAN)

> **NIH NIH U54** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $1,536,895

## Abstract

Summary Overall
The Center for Innovation in Point-of-Care Technologies for HIV/AIDS at Northwestern University (C-
THAN) will develop a pipeline of needs-based point-of-care technologies critical for improved management of
HIV/AIDS infected individuals in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). C-THAN will harness our existing
expertise and our research and clinical network which has a 17-year history of dynamic and productive
collaboration on addressing infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. Northwestern University is joined by the
Universities of Lagos, Ibadan and Jos (Nigeria), Cape Town and Stellenbosch (South Africa), University of
Sciences, Techniques and Technologies Bamako (Mali) and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences
(Tanzania).
The United Nations' Program on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) has set the ambitious 90-90-90 goals to achieve
detection of 90% of HIV cases, treatment for 90% of those cases, and viral suppression for 90% of those
treated, by 2020. This will not be achieved in LMICs without improvement of the current diagnostic pathway
with POC diagnostic tests that are affordable, rapid, easy to use, and require little maintenance.
C-THAN will serve as a platform for the support of research projects to develop POC technologies that address
this unmet need across multiple levels of technology readiness which are amenable to the conditions of the
developing world. Projects supported will range from needs assessment to commercialization, with a view to
ensuring translation into clinical impact. Our overall goal is to support the development of POC technologies to
promote high priority topics of NIH HIV/AIDS research, including: Reducing HIV incidence by improving
screening, detection and treatment monitoring related to HIV, HIV drug resistance, and antiretroviral drug
levels; Diagnosing HIV-associated comorbidities which include tuberculosis (TB), non-tuberculosis
mycobacteria (NTM), hepatitis B (HBV), and hepatitis C (HCV); Reducing health disparities by developing
testing technology that can function in underserved community settings; and Training of the workforce able to
translate POC technologies from Reseach & Development to implementation.
The C-THAN structure will incorporate clinical and user needs in project development while providing expertise
and resources to address early barriers to commercialization and implementation. Its Core components will
operate in an integrated manner to deliver a scope of work entailing: 1) assessment of unmet clinical needs in
POC testing for HIV/AIDS and its comorbidities; 2) collaboration with relevant scientists, physicians,
researchers and engineers; 3) development of essential technical, clinical, industrial and regulatory
partnerships; 4) clinical testing of prototype POC devices in the field; and 5) creation of training opportunities
for technology developers, evaluators, and other stakeholders. C-THAN will have major impact on the
prevention and clinical management of HI...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10174925
- **Project number:** 5U54EB027049-04
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** SALLY Maureen MCFALL
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $1,536,895
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-11 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10174925

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10174925, The Center for Innovation in Point-of-Care Technologies for HIV/AIDS at Northwestern University (C-THAN) (5U54EB027049-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10174925. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*