SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Audere, a global digital health non-profit developing HealthPulse™ solutions to advance health equity in underserved communities worldwide, celebrates the announcement of funding for the continued development of its flagship HealthPulse AI™ technology, which improves the accuracy of rapid diagnostic test (RDT) use and digitizes RDT data for program reporting. Audere has received a $9.35M grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a historical funder of Audere’s project development, in addition to support from PATH, FIND, the Aurum Institute, and other global health partners.
“The Foundation provided Audere’s initial catalytic funding to drive new innovation in global health. Audere has succeeded in not only developing cutting-edge technology, but also in offering the product for the benefit of global health. We are excited to continue our support of HealthPulse AI™ and believe this will make an impact on malaria disease surveillance and quality case management as we progress toward eradication.”
- Philip Welkhoff, Malaria PST Director, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Access to timely and reliable surveillance data is one of the key pillars to effective management of infectious diseases, such as malaria. Studies have found that the reported test positivity rate for malaria RDTs can be twice as high when compared to what was accurately confirmed by digital RDT readers. The inaccurate or delayed reporting of disease incidence can lead to significant mismanagement of resources and response efforts by program coordinators. Digitization of data at the point of care is increasingly gaining traction as a potential solution, as it significantly reduces human errors in data collection and aggregation.
Examples of innovations in this field are emerging to meet the vision for the future, however HealthPulse AI™ is differentiated in that it:
- Functions on commodity smartphones common in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), with no dependence on additional hardware, controlled environments or backgrounds
- Adapts to support any RDT for any health condition, intentionally designed to be RDT-brand agnostic
- Leverages a human-centered design approach including co-creation with experts and end-users to ensure all products are usability tested and field proven for ease of use
- Features highly accurate artificial intelligence (AI) models leveraging computer vision and machine learning
- Achieves 90-95% accuracy in adversarial, real-world conditions
- Provides an open access solution for global health programs to effectively digitize, interpret, and communicate RDT results
HealthPulse AI™ supports several use cases, including community-based surveillance, private sector health delivery and virtual care models for diagnostic testing and treatment. The solution is available via a mobile app or by developers through an integration toolkit. Its suite of features can be used as a set of standalone tools or as an end-to-end integrated solution, including: guided administration, digital capture, result decision support, connection to care, and patient-level data & insights. Innovative and affordable, HealthPulse AI™ scales to meet unique challenges in disease surveillance, management, and eradication.
“HealthPulse™ solutions have proven in the field that timely, accurate data provides key insights for the strategy and success of disease eradication programs. This new grant positions us to cost-effectively scale the technology - essentially turning any camera into a quality RDT surveillance tool - thereby maximizing impact. I am excited for the hard work ahead and honored by the continued support of the Foundation.”
- Dr. Dino Rech, Chief Executive Officer, Audere
About Audere
Audere is a global digital health nonprofit developing HealthPulse™ solutions to advance health equity in underserved communities worldwide. We operate at the unique intersection of global health and high tech, creating advanced, accessible software that revolutionizes the detection and treatment of diseases — such as malaria, COVID-19, and HIV. Our diverse team of passionate, innovative minds combines smartphone technology, artificial intelligence, and the best of cloud-based services to deliver HealthPulse™ solutions worldwide. Development of our projects is funded by grants and support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, FIND, and other global health partners. Learn more at auderenow.org.
