Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS)
and Human Services (HHS)
October 6, 2021
None
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) intends to publish a prize competition announcement to solicit entries for the NIH Technology Accelerator Challenge (NTAC): Maternal Health. NIBIB intends to launch this prize competition in order to spur and reward the development of low-cost, point-of-care molecular, cellular, and/or metabolic sensing and diagnostic technologies to guide rapid clinical decision-making, improve patient outcomes, and ultimately prevent maternal morbidity and mortality.
This Notice is being provided to inform potential participants of the upcoming opportunity to compete in the NTAC: Maternal Health prize competition and to begin developing innovative solutions that meet the Challenge’s goals.
The announcement is expected to be published in November 2021 with an expected submission window through February 2022.
NIBIB intends to award cash prizes to eligible winners of this prize competition (https://www.nibib.nih.gov/research-program/NIH-Technology-Accelerator-Challenge).
Background
NIBIB launched the NIH Technology Accelerator Challenge (NTAC) series of prize competitions to stimulate the design of new diagnostic technologies to transform public and global health and to accelerate the full development of those products for use in low-resource settings. This iteration of NTAC intends to award cash prizes for innovative diagnostic technologies to help improve maternal health by diagnosing conditions related to maternal morbidity and mortality. Pregnancy and childbirth complications are a major global health problem resulting in the deaths of more than 800 women and 7,000 newborns each day. Contributing to the high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality in low-resource settings is the lack of low-cost diagnostics that operate at the point-of-care and are capable of detecting and differentiating common conditions during antenatal and intrapartum periods of pregnancy. Therefore, the intended purpose of NTAC: Maternal Health is to spur and reward the development of low-cost, point-of-care molecular, cellular, and/or metabolic sensing and diagnostic technologies integrated with a digital platform to guide rapid clinical decision-making, improve patient outcomes, and ultimately prevent maternal morbidity and mortality.
Prize Competition Details
Participants will be expected to (1) submit their design for a point-of-care diagnostic test or platform technology with initial feasibility data or references addressing at least two of the four priority conditions listed below affecting maternal health during antenatal and intrapartum periods, and (2) submit a robust description of the proposed path for translation and further development of the diagnostic technology for use in global health settings. Additionally, diagnostics should be fully integrated digital health platforms. The four priority conditions and specific examples are as follows:
1. Infection: viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections; sepsis; post-procedural infections
2. Hypertensive disease: pre-eclampsia; eclampsia
3. Hemorrhage: acute anemia; iron deficiency anemia; coagulopathy
4. Placental issues: angiogenic or other markers of placental disruption
The NTAC: Maternal Health prize competition announcement containing prize amounts, eligibility and participation rules, registration and submission instructions, and judging criteria will be posted on www.Challenge.gov and www.nibib.nih.gov.
NIBIB intends to conduct this challenge under the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science (COMPETES) Reauthorization Act of 2010, as amended [15 U.S.C. § 3719].
SUBMISSIONS ARE NOT BEING SOLICITED AT THIS TIME.
Tiffani Bailey Lash, Ph.D.
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
Telephone: 301-496-4778
Email: [email protected]