main viable, and many are rendered ineffective if
the temperature becomes too warm or too cold.
Yet, according to a statement from the World
Health Organization and UNICEF, 56 percent of
vaccine refrigeration equipment in low- and middle-income countries is non-functional or poorly
functioning. When vaccine fridges fail, vaccines
are damaged, leaving communities and families
susceptible to otherwise preventable diseases.
This is where technology can play a great part to
ensure that vaccines are delivered safely.
The 2013 WIP Winner Nexleaf Analytics
is working to improve the vaccine cold chain.
Nexleaf created ColdTrace, a wireless remote
temperature monitoring solution designed for
vaccine refrigerators in remote
clinics and health facilities.
The device sends fridge
temperature readings and grid
power availability information
to a server, and can then
alert health workers via text
message when vaccines are
in danger of damage due to
Since piloting ColdTrace in
eight healthcare facilities in
Kenya, Nexleaf has expanded the technology to seven
countries, protecting the
vaccine supply for over 6. 1
million babies born each year. Earlier this year,
Nexleaf partnered with Google.org and Gavi to
strengthen the vaccine cold chain even further
with a tool that will help more countries make
evidence-based decisions to improve their vaccination systems, with the potential to save millions
Making disease diagnosis and monitoring
With over 8 billion mobile connections in the
world (according to GSMA Intelligence) even
scientific researchers are leveraging the technology to create compact and portable medical
devices. These devices can work in areas where
labs and lab tools are not easily accessible.
Innovation with mobile allows for the improve-
ment of many techniques, such as bringing the
lab anywhere you need it. One example is optical
spectroscopy, a technique that uses the light
spectrum to examine specimen. As useful as
optical spectroscopy is, traditional equipment is
generally expensive and bulky, making it effective-
ly unavailable to many facilities in difficult terrain
or lower-income parts of the world.
Another 2013 Wireless Innovation Project
winner has advanced the potential for optical spectroscopy. Researchers at Penn State
University have created a hybrid device to make
this technology more portable and accessible.
Termed G-Fresnel, the device fuses two traditional components—a grating and a Fresnel lens—into
a single tool. The result is a high-performance,
affordable, compact spectrometer, which can be
integrated with a smartphone, making it possible for the technology to reach health providers
and researchers outside of the traditional lab.
This technology has a variety of applications in
healthcare, including cancer detection, colorim-etry, monitoring surgical wounds, and detecting
contaminants in food and water.
Innovations like Cold Trace and G-Fresnel can
change the landscape for health challenges around
the world. There is so much we can do now with
the technology and innovation in our hands, and
programs like the Wireless Innovation Project play
an important role in seeking out new solutions.
June Sugiyama, Director, Vodafone Americas
OUTLOOK ON TECHNOLOGY
The Cold Trace 5 being used in Mozambique.
Photo: Nexleaf Analytics