The Global Health Innovative Technology Fund announced an investment of approximately JPY 140 million, or roughly USD 862,000, in a project to develop a portable rapid diagnostic system for Ebola disease. The system is being jointly developed by Osaka Metropolitan University, K.K. DNAFORM, and the National Institute for Biomedical Research of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with the goal of advancing diagnostic technologies for outbreaks caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
The investment covers approved early development milestones, including prototype development and performance validation for detecting the Bundibugyo virus, and supports preparations for future clinical evaluation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The project follows the World Health Organization’s declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 16, 2026, in response to the outbreak, and the GHIT Fund opened a call for Expressions of Interest just days later, on May 22, 2026, before conducting an expedited review process to select the project. The investment is intended to accelerate progress toward the 100-Day Mission, a G7 and G20-backed global health initiative aimed at making vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics available within 100 days of identifying a new pandemic threat.
The project relies on GenPad, a portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification platform developed by DNAFORM that does not require large laboratory instruments, making it suitable for outbreak settings with limited access to stable power or laboratory infrastructure.
The collaboration combines Osaka Metropolitan University’s research network, DNAFORM’s GenPad technology, and INRB’s infrastructure for responding to emerging infectious diseases. GHIT Fund is an international public-private partnership formed between the Government of Japan, multiple pharmaceutical companies, the Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and the United Nations Development Programme, focused on developing new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases.
