ChoLab
Device-Enabled Public Health System
Every two minutes, someone dies from Cholera bacteria infection, often due to drinking water contaminated with feces. Over 200,000 people lose their lives to this waterborne disease every year. ChoLab is a portable cholera testing device that allows community health workers to quickly assess water safety on site, saving lives and stopping outbreaks before they begin. Existing laboratory tests are expensive, slow, and require scientific expertise, often arriving too late. ChoLab is fast, affordable, and easy to use, empowering citizen scientists to take control of their own health and safety.
iF Gold Statement
The WHO estimates that globally around 1.4 million people die each year due to contaminated water. This outstanding design concept enables rapid detection of waterborne diseases like cholera. Affordable and accessible, the ChoLab device has the potential to significantly improve global public health and save millions of lives. Not many design solutions can achieve that level of impact.
Client / ManufacturerDesign
Harvard University
Cambridge, USHarvard University
Cambridge, USSteffek Rainey, Hongbee Park, Diksha ChughDate of Launch
2027
Target Regions
Africa, Asia
Target Groups
Consumers / Users, Public Sector / Government