Genovate – case studies

10 million people worldwide live with end-stage kidney disease, and over 7 million of them will die because they do not have access to life-saving dialysis or kidney transplant. This is the need that Ellen Medical and The George Institute aim to address.  Our peritoneal dialysis machine can sterilise water in places where water supply may be contaminated using solar power, can fit in a small suitcase, and runs on a few dollars a day.

This machine is an innovative solution to a massive world health problem that can affect the lives of millions of people in low-middle income countries.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of disease burden globally, and affects people across the geographic and socio-economic spectrum. Although many effective treatments are available, only half the people at risk in high income countries and less than 10% of at-risk people in low-income countries are receiving all recommended treatments.

To combat this problem, The George Institute is developing a range of low dose combination therapies. This mean patients only need to take one pill, once a day, to receive the multiple drugs they need. These polypills will ensure that more patients take the right pills at the right time and will help reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke.

Five billion people worldwide live without reliable access to primary healthcare. The systems that deliver care are dysfunctional in many low-and middle-income countries, and the medical workforce is often too limited to deliver care even to those in urgent need.

SMARThealth is a low cost, digital platform that supports clinical decision-making and improves the screening, detection and management of chronic disease in adults. It is currently being used in Australia, China, India and Indonesia and has the potential to transform primary health care in resource poor settings as it provides an accurate, mobile process for identifying high risk patients and referring those in urgent need for further care.

Packaged food products often contain surprisingly high levels of salt, sugar, saturated fat and calories, all of which may contribute to health risks such as heart disease and diabetes. In order to make better choices, people need information about what they are buying, but nutrition information on food labels can be confusing.

The George Institute’s FoodSwitch app was designed to help people make healthier choices by empowering users with information, and offering healthier alternatives. This app, currently available in 9 countries, is allowing people take control of their health and improve their wellbeing through informed decision making.