Microfluidic and microsystem -based devices are at the forefront of diagnostic development for resource-poor areas. They offer solutions to problems such as lack of electric power, running water, clean laboratories and skilled people. Work on devices to be used at the point of care (POC) in Africa for diagnosing common diseases such as HIV/Aids, TB and malaria, where infrastructure is lacking, will significantly impact on the disease burden currently being faced.

The first workshop focusing on defining the challenges of microsystems-based diagnostics for health in South Africa, the International Workshop on Microsystems Technologies for African Health μ-Med-A 2011, will be held at the Protea Hotel, Kruger Gate, Mpumalanga, South Africa, from 7 – 10 September 2011.  

According to Kevin Land, co-chairman for the workshop, its aim is to facilitate networking between the many role players involved: from health workers implementing the role-out of new devices, to researchers looking to the next generation of the device, allowing for more efficient development and use of diagnostic tools. “We want target specifications for these devices to be jointly defined,” he says.

The workshop will focus on the following themes:

• Burden of disease in Africa
• Microfluidic diagnostic technologies
• Point of care diagnostics
• Water quality monitoring

“The workshop will provide a forum for researchers, technologists, entrepreneurs, NGO’s and funding bodies to interact on the latest developments and future trends in the multidisciplinary field of microsystems technology, specifically aimed at addressing health related issues,” explains Land. “It will bring together internationally recognised experts from all over the world who are working in this very exciting and challenging field, as well as POC providers for Africa. All speakers are by invitation only but participants are invited to present posters of their work in this field. Ample opportunity for informal interaction among attendees will be provided."

The workshop is co-hosted by South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS) in Germany. Land’s co-chairman is Professor Jan Korvink from FRIAS.

Anyone interested in attending can visit the workshop’s webpage at www.micromed2011.co.za or contact Kelly-Anne Matthews at kmatthew@csir.co.za