Dec 3, 2025

Science Career at the Interface of Chemistry, Biology, and Global Health

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are a group of infectious diseases hardly known in the west, of which some are nearly eradicated while others affect hundreds of millions of people. The World Health Organization (WHO) spearheads public health interventions against 20 NTDs and requires diagnostics to guide programmatic decisions. These diagnostics need to meet stringent sensitivity and specifications, be stable for years under tropical climates, and yet be affordable for programs. Drugs & Diagnostics for Tropical Diseases (DDTD is addressing these challenges by developing lateral flow assays for river blindness, lymphatic filariasis, trachoma, schistosomiasis, strongyloidiasis, tuberculosis, and guinea worm.