Recently, at Germany’s World Science Summit, which highlights scientific breakthroughs, the multiplex infectious diseases diagnostic test (the Nyan-Test), invented by a prominent scientist and medical doctor, Dr. Nyan of Liberia was selected by judges as one of 54 Finalists in the Engineering and Technology category.
Nyan was nominated by the Royal Academy of Science International Trust and Under the Microscope.
This year, the Berlin Science Week organizing committee received more than 900 nominations from 111 countries around the globe.
The world cannot wait much longer for mass production of the Nyan-Test because in most underserved communities and African countries, there is acute shortage of sophisticated diagnostic devices, as well as limited expertise in high-tech diagnostics of infectious diseases. This hampers the clinical decision-making ability of healthcare providers.
The benefits of the Nyan-Test are that it is portable, affordable, fast, and easy to use in any setting. It detects and distinguishes multiple infections (including HIV, HCV, HBV, Ebola, Sars-CoV-1, COVID-19, MERS, Dengue, West Nile, Yellow Fever, Malaria, and many more).
Whereas most testing methods take three hours to seven days, this testing device for infectious diseases produces test results within ten to 40 minutes.
According to the Berlin Science Week, the international gathering that brings together people from the world’s most innovative scientific institutions to celebrate scientific achievements, Dr. Nyan’s innovation is a major breakthrough that is breaking the wall to detect infections and is easing the problems of simultaneously diagnosing and identifying infectious diseases that carry similar symptoms or may infect a patient at same time.
Nyan holds a degree in Human-Medicine from the Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin of the Humboldt-University of Berlin, Germany. He was trained as an infectious disease scientist at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He also worked as an Infectious Disease Scientist at the NIH, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other US institutions and biotech companies.
Currently serving as Chief Medical and Scientific Officer of Shufflex Biomed, his biotechnology start-up company, Dr. Nyan has offered that his “innovation is available for production to help humanity fight the scourge of infectious diseases, including the present COVID-19 Pandemic.’’
In October, Dr. Nyan was among several frontline healthcare workers recognized by the New York State Senate for services performed during the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic Response. Dr. Nyan, the award-winning scientist, inventor, and social activist was presented an official citation of recognition and appreciation from New York State Senator Jamaal T. Bailey of the 36th Senate District at a program marking this year’s African Heritage Month.
