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Point of Care Technologies - Diagnostics

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Dr. Tiffani Bailey Lash
Program Director
Division of Health Informatics Technologies (Informatics) Program Area: Digital Health - Mobile Health and Telehealth
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Health Science Administrator
Division of Applied Science & Technology (Biomedical Imaging) Program Area: Bioanalytical Sensors
This program supports the technology development of rapid in-vitro diagnostic technologies and monitoring platforms that provide real time medical evaluation and analysis of the disease status or condition at the time and place of patient care.

Emphasis

The program includes the delivery of healthcare that is safe, effective, timely, patient-centered, efficient, and available in centralized and decentralized locations. The emphasis is on developing technologies driven by clinical needs. Examples of technology development areas in this program include but are not limited to disposable lateral flow assays, nucleic acid testing platforms, glucose monitoring devices, etc.

Program priorities

  • Rapid: ideal diagnostic test time to identify species and determine drug susceptibility profiles, process the clinical sample (if appropriate), and detection and delivery of the final test result during a single interaction
  • Sensitive: sensitivity should be equivalent to or exceed current standards for proposed targets from the same sample type
  • Specific: specificity should be equivalent to or exceed current standards for proposed targets from the same sample type
  • Easy-to-use: integrated, closed sample-to-answer system with automated data analyses and/or result presentation and with minimal operator training and expertise required
  • Cost-effective: projected production and operating costs should be consistent or an improvement on commonly used platforms

Featured programs and resources

Point of Care Technology Research Network

NIBIB created the Point-of-Care Technologies Research Network (POCTRN) to drive the development of appropriate point-of-care diagnostic technologies through collaborative efforts that merge scientific and technological capabilities with clinical need. Details about this program are on the POCTRN page.

Find current solicitations for POCTRN centers.

Join the NIBIB Point of Care Technologies listserv: the e-newsletter serves as an information outlet to the Point of Care Technology community on current activities and initiatives involving point of care technology research supported by the National Institutes of Health.

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