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Back to Rwanda: Liberian Scientist Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan among top 50 African Innovators

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Kigali, Rwanda— Liberian medical doctor and scientist, Dr. Dougbeh Christopher Nyanhas been invited again to Rwanda to showcase his invention at the African Innovation Summit 2018 (AIS 2018), a statement said here at the weekend.

The Nyan-Test, a multiplex infections diagnostic test was selected as one of the Top 50 Finalists out of over 600 submissions and competitors from 44 countries in Africa.

The selected innovators will exhibit their innovative solutions at the forum which will take place from June 5 – 8, 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda under the patronage of President Paul Kagame of Rwanda in conjunction with former President Pedro Pires of the Cape Verde.

Dr. Nyan’s invention, The Nyan Pathogen Detection Test, is a rapid diagnostic test that detects and differentiates 3 to 7 infectious diseases in 10 to 40 minutes with one test. The Nyan-Test can detect and simultaneously identify infections like Malaria, Ebola, Typhoid Fever and Yellow Fever that show similar symptoms.

The test can also detect HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis viruses, Chikungunya virus, Dengue virus, West Nile virus, MERS-CoV, and other infections. The Nyan-Test cuts down detection time and makes quick treatment of patients possible. Dr. Nyan has also patented his innovation in the United States and Africa, and is working on the second version for field trials and commercial production. The Nyan-Test was published in Nature (Scientific Reports).

“I am very elated to be selected by the judges as one of the Top 50 African Innovators for this Summit. This is another validation of our multiplex diagnostic test for infectious diseases as our solution addresses problems of infectious diseases, not only in Africa, but also in the world” said Dr. Nyan, the 2017 African Innovation Special Prize laureate.

“My team at Shufflex Biomed is working hard to have the test produced so as to serve the needed consumers, mainly including the neglected communities and the poor people of Africa and the world,” he added.

The selection of the Nyan-Test for the African Innovation Summit comes at a time when the deadly Ebola virus infection has resurfaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a region where Ebola virus disease first emerged in 1976. In 2014, during the Ebola virus outbreak in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, Dr. Nyan testified before the US Congress on September 17, 2014 and advocated for the establishment of regional as well as a continental African Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The awarding-winning inventor, Dr. Nyan is returning to Rwanda in less than four months after speaking at a major scientific event held in Kigali. In March this year 2018, Dr. Nyan was invited to the Next Einstein Forum as speaker in Rwanda. In July 2017, Dr. Nyan’s innovation won the African Innovation Award Special Prize for Social Impact. The Nyan-Test was also recognized as one of Top 3 Innovations in Africa by the Africa 2017 Business Forum held in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt.

The AIS 2018 event is sponsored by the governments of Rwanda and the Cape Verde, the European Union, Luxembourg, the African Development Bank, Development Bank of Southern Africa, NEPAD, the United Nations Development Programme and Accenture. The exhibition will profile and showcase home-grown innovations on the African continent.

 

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