MAPRONANO ACE’s innovative technologies to fight COVID-19

Development of low cost Alcohol Based Hand Sanitizers

MAPRONANO ACE in partnership with Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS) have developed low cost hand sanitizer for use in resource-limited settings and use in institutions and communities for effective hygiene and infection control. This is an alcohol hand sanitizer with 99.9% alcohol and is locally made from locally available materials and effective to kill the pathogens such as fungi, bacteria and viruses. The manufacture and preparation processes are done in the college of health sciences in partnership with Ryatumwa Ltd a marketing company. The instant hand sanitizers are packaged in the following quantities (100mls, 60mls, 500mls, 1000mls/1Liters, 5 Liters and 20 Liters) Below pictorial images of sanitizers.

MAPRONANO ACE Covi-Mak Instant Hand Sanitizers (UNBS Certified)

Development of Saliva Diagnostic Kit for detection of Covid -19 in Saliva

Saliva is a comfortable and quick mass sampling option [Wang et al, 2004] with demonstrated high accuracy for COVID-19 diagnosis. We have started development of COVID-19 diagnostic rapid test kit for detection of the virus in saliva in Partnership with Makerere University College of Health Sciences and Uganda Virus Research Institute.Expected impact: Cheap, safe, non-invasive, and rapid turnaround time for detection of active Covid-19 including individual self-collection of the sample. This intervention minimizes transmission risk faced by health care practitioners and facilitates effective diagnosis, efficient contact tracing and community surveillance.

The Proposed COVID-19 Saliva test kit

Figure 2: Schematic of the Proposed COVID-19 Saliva test kit

Development of Portable Mask Sterilizing Pod

The mask sterilization technique being presented here utilizes a pod with heat sources powered by electricity from the onboard batteries. The rechargeable Lithium ion batteries provide the DC current needed by the heating element to raise the pod temperatures up to 100 degrees Celsius enough to kill the Corona virus. Figure 1 shows the mask inside the pod and the associated user interfaces such as charging port and switch button.

Image of the portable Mask Sterilizing Pod

Solar Powered Sanitizer Booth for Highly infectious Pathogens (Covid-19)

MAPRONANO ACE at Makerere University in partnership with CODEK ENGINEERING CO LTD, private company have jointly developed a walk-through solar powered sanitization booth to enable instant sanitization as the people walk through it. The booth is designed with entrance proximity sensors, which detect a person walking through and release fog or atomized disinfectant. The justification of designing and producing this machine is that it can work on all emerging and re emerging highly infectious pathogens. The heating element has a built-in thermostat to control its temperature and prevent self-destruction under extreme heat. The booth is also built with a temperature sensor that records the temperature of anyone laving or entering a public place.

Design Model of the Solar Powered Sanitizer Booth

We Trace: Mobile contact tracer application for Covid-19 in Uganda

MAPRONANO ACE, Makerere University in partnership with Nanobits has developed a contact-tracing App for surveillance and real-time detection of Covid-19 positive cases named “WeTrace”. The application publishes the user’s phone number in form of an encrypted message in intervals of 30 seconds and then listens continuously for incoming messages published by other phones with the same application. The mobile app is accessible by both Android and IOS users this mobile app keeps tracing the people that a single user has come into contact with using Data over sound. (See schematic of Mobile app on Android Phones). 

Demonstration of mobile contact tracker application – Android Phone

Project outcomes/Results;

1) The contacts of the confirmed cases of covid 19 cases will receive instant communication and will be able to immediately self isolate themselves as they await the ministry of health to contact them. 2) The rate of spread of the infections will be reduced. 3) The costs of tracing contacts by the emerwill significantly 4) Time spent on tracing the contacts by the response emergency teams will be reduced. Project Outputs. Over 80% of the population with smartphones and other mobile devices will install the application.

  • Re Usable Self sanitizing Mask 

The product was developed out of the need to prevent the medical workers battling communicable diseases like covid-19 from being infected in risky environment because covid-19 requires frequent self-sanitization especially for medical workers who are exposed to an undoubtly a highly contagious environment. The mask is designed with instant self-sanitization capability and allows frontline healthcare worker to sanitize in real time in risky environments. The mask is designed with a transparent glass face to prevent sneezed or coughed sputter from directly landing onto the medical workers’ face. The mask has a built in nose and mouth protection device to prevent breathing in disease contaminated air. The mask has a built-in sanitizer container and spray that enables instant occasional sanitization of garments, hands, face and body. The medical worker can re-use the mask indefinitely hence save money in buying disposable ones. The masks can remain at the various hospitals even after covid-19 and used in other medical emergencies like Ebola.

Reusable Sanitizing Mask

Determination and characterization of Viral load and Antibody Profiles in samples from multiple sites of COVID-19 patients in Uganda – Funded by Makerere Research Innovation Fund

The detection of antibodies specific to COVID-19 in specimen from Covid-19 patients can inform better patient care and management. This can also inform patients with antibodies with neutralising activity critical for vaccine development and use of convalescent plasma for treatment in Uganda.