Wouter Bruins in the running for TEDx Amsterdam Award with malaria tester

Biology student Wouter Bruins is in the running for an award during TEDx Amsterdam on 30 November. His product is an inexpensive malaria tester for pregnant women in developing countries.

Pitch

The malaria tester developed by Bruins' company Amplino

Bruins is one of the final ten candidates to have survived a strict preselection. At the end of September, he had to defend his idea against a critical jury in am uiltra-short pitch. The jury was made up of experts from the business sector and the scientific world. Bruins' presentation made such a positive impression that he was voted through to the next round. If he wins, not only will he receive the TEDx Amsterdam award, he will also have the opportunity to give a presentation on the device he has developed and the results achieved so far. Bruins hopes that investors will be enthusiastic enough to put funding into his idea.

Cheap and simple

Together with his company Amplino, Bruins developed a way of determining malaria in pregnant women. It is difficult do make this diagnosis in these women using traditional techniques. As a result the levels of premature births, miscarriages and infant deaths remains high. Amplino designed a new device that tests blood samples from pregnant women for malaria. The device works on solar energy, is robust and costs just one and a half euro.

Inspiring presentations

Wouter Bruins

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design and was started in 1984. The idea is that speakers give inspiring presentations on subjects in one of these three fields. The presentations can be followed on internet via streaming video. The ‘x’ in TEDx Amsterdam indicates that this is an independently organised event based on the TED format. Licences have to be issued in the US before such an event can be organised. The first official Dutch TEDx event was held in The Hague in 2009.

Bruins is currently involved in a work placement in the Integrative Zoology department of the Leiden Institute for Biology (IBL).