South-South
Diagnostic Alliance
A global health alliance led by endemic countries, developing affordable diagnostics where they’re needed most.
Project
The South-South Diagnostic Alliance is a collaborative platform designed to facilitate cross-sector and cross-regional partnerships in countries affected by endemic diseases. Its mission is to develop and provide affordable, accessible diagnostic and therapeutic solutions, while prioritising existing capacities in countries and knowledge or technology transfers when necessary.
We envision the Alliance as a driving force for innovation—uniting partners across regions and sectors to strengthen local capabilities, enable technology sharing, and empower endemic countries to create and deliver life-saving health solutions. As a non-profit organization, we operate as an equitable and independent project management platform connecting research institutions and market forces within endemic countries, prioritizing patient needs.
The Alliance’s first initiative targets dengue diagnostics, marking a significant step in tackling neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that continue to strain communities across the Global South. By focusing on the development of cost-effective and context-specific diagnostic tools, this project reflects our belief that access to timely diagnostics must go hand in hand with treatment.
Dengue Diagnostics: Rooted
in Endemic Countries
Based in Malaysia and incubated by Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM), our initiative brings together public research organizations and dengue specialists from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Brazil. By empowering endemic countries to lead innovation, we are able to develop affordable and practical diagnostic solutions tailored to local needs.
We begin every project by consulting infectious disease experts and researchers in endemic regions to identify key diagnostic gaps. These insights are reviewed by our Expert Technical Committee—comprising specialists from the Global South—before any product development begins. In collaboration with health economics partners, we then develop a Target Product Profile to guide innovation that meets the real needs of patients and healthcare systems.
Current Phase
The dengue diagnostics project has completed the Needs Assessment phase to understand the specific needs of different countries. During this assessment, we have interviewed specialists of various specialties from Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Brazil. In summary, they identified the following priority needs in current dengue diagnostics:
- Widely available, affordable, and accurate NS1 antigen, IgM/IgG combo tests.
- At-home Dengue Testing
- Rapid and affordable molecular tests for clinical trials and serotyping
- Prognostic Biomarkers to detect severe disease
Participants
Malaysia
- Dr. Rozainanee Mohd Zain
- Dr. Jeyanthi Suppaiyah
- Dr Steven Lim
Thailand
- Prof Panisadee Avirutnan
- Prof Kulkanya Chokephaibulkith
- Pornsuda Nipathakosol
- Bhensri Naemiratch
Sri Lanka
- Prof Neelika Malavige
- Prof Chandima Jeewandara
- Dr. Geethika Rathnawardhana
Vietnam
- Đỗ Đức Anh
- Prof Thiru. Velavan
- Nguyen The Trong
- Hoan Nghiem Xuan
Brazil
- Prof Mauro Teixeira
- Prof Mauricio Nogueira
Thailand
- Prof Mauro Teixeira
- Prof Mauricio Nogueira
Team Members
Jean-Michel Piedagnel
Director
Prof Sanjeev Krishna
Lead of Scientific &
Advisory Committee
Dinu Guruge
Lead of Diagnostic & Biomarker Working Group
LOREM IPSUM
Charmin
Partners
INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS
LOREM IPSUM
Charmin