Identify two SPECIFIC funding sources for the design phase of your project and two SPECIFIC funding sources for the dissemination (implementation / distribution / commercialization) phase of your project. For each funding source, explain why this is a good fit for your project, and what SPECIFIC aspect of your project might the funding source support.

• Two specific funding sources for the design phase of the project are VentureWell and DEBUT. Venturewell funds developing technologies that help mediate pressing worldwide issues. In our case, this grant would fund our project to help decrease the prevalence of sickle cell anemia in Sierra Leone. DEBUT funds undergraduate research that will provide solutions to unmet health problems and it also provides the funds for necessary materials. This is perfect for our project because we are making a sickle cell diagnostics testing device which provides a solution for the high child mortality in Sierra Leone Additionally, the materials necessary for creating this device will also be funded by DEBUT.
• Two specific funding sources for the dissemination phase of the project are the Davis Projects for Peace and the World Health Organization. The Davis Peace Prize is a funding opportunity for undergraduate students at specific partner schools. It is an initiative for projects that promote peace and address the root causes of conflict among parties, regardless of where in the world. Lehigh is one of the partner schools, which provides us with the ability to since it targets the root problem of the high child mortality rate in Sierra Leone. The World Health Organization (WHO) has a similar value proposition which is to detect birth defects early on and provide support for the prevention of genetic disorders. They have been focusing on developing these services in LMICs through implementation of medical devices and services, which is very similar to our mission and goals.

Identify five specific partnerships that you need to forge to advance your project forward with the ultimate goal of positively impacting Lehigh University AND ten other universities. Describe exactly how each partnership might help you achieve scale and why that entity might be willing to work with you.

• Dr. Jaja
  • We use his IRB so that we can test live patient samples. This is especially important when we are conducting fieldwork in Sierra Leone, since we are working with his patients. He is willing to work with us because we share mutual goals in lowering infant mortality rates.
• Sickle Cell Society
  • Social network which supports and represents people who have been affected by SCD (individually afflicted and families) to improve their quality of life through education and treatment associated resources.
• Sickle Cell Carers Awareness Network (SCANN)
  • A nonprofit organization out of the Kono district in Sierra Leone, which aims to raise awareness about sickle cell treatment and prevention as well as providing practical support and care to people who care for people living with sickle cell and their carers.
• SL government – Free Healthcare Initiative
  • A program that would allow our test strips to be freely distributed to all mothers and young children.
  • Mass incorporation into Sierra Leone.
  • Would be willing to work with us because our screening device will help lower the child mortality rate through early detection.
• World Hope International
  • This partnership is vital for us because they allow us to use their resources while in Sierra Leone, such as drivers and office space.

10 universities

• University of Makeni (located in Makeni, Sierra Leone)
  • This is a local university in Sierra Leone that may be interested in working on our project with us.
• Fourah Bay College (located in Freetown, Sierra Leone)
  • This is a local university in Sierra Leone that may be interested in working on our project with us.
• Howard University (located in Washington DC, United States) an HBCU
  • They launched a project called the 1867 Health Innovations, which is a partnership with the US Department of Health and Health Services (HHS) focused on finding methods that data and technology can help improve the lives of individuals with SCD.
• University of South Alabama (located in Mobile, Alabama)
  • This university is involved in the diagnosis, management, and treatment of sickle cell disease patients.
• Case Western Reserve University (located in Cleveland, Ohio)
  • CWRU has received a $3.7 million grant from the NHLBI to test genome editing-based therapies that cure SCD and accelerate these therapies.
• University of Illinois at Chicago (located in Champaign County, Illinois)
  • They are working on ensuring that existing healthcare approaches to sickle cell disease are beneficial to patients.
  • They received a $4.5 million NIH grant and are one of the 8 centers in the US that receive funding as part of the National Health, Lung, and Blood Institute consortium to optimize treatment.
  • They are leading the Improving Sickle Cell Care in Adolescents and Adults in Chicago (ISAAC) Project, which tests a treatment approach for 15-44 y/o patients.
• University of Southern Carolina (located in Columbia, South Carolina)
  • Dr. Jaja is an associate professor, with joint interests in our sickle cell device as well as his own ventures/research related to the disease
• UC San Francisco (located in San Francisco, California)
• UC Berkeley (located in Berkeley, California)
• UCLA (located in Los Angeles, California)
  • They have launched the first clinical trials using CRISPR to correct the gene defects that cause sickle cell disease. This description applies to all three UC institutions listed above.