Drugs & Diagnostics for Tropical Diseases (DDTD) is a unique non-profit  (501c3) venture based in San Diego, CA, with a mission “to discover new treatments and develop diagnostics for neglected tropical diseases and other diseases that affect impoverished populations”. These diseases have been typically neglected from research and development efforts due to the perceived lack of profitability.

As part of our mission, we are developing easy to use, rapid, inexpensive diagnostics to detect infections for Neglected Tropical Diseases or NTDs. We are passionate about serving the needs of the underprivileged within our capacity as scientists and believe it is important to increase public awareness of the dire need to improve global health. The community’s resulting civic engagement can make an impact globally and DDTD wants to lead these efforts.

DDTD embraces the idea of eliminating diseases that do not belong in the 21st century. The first step towards eliminating a disease is the ability to detect it. Mapping diseases is critical for the World Health Organization (WHO) and its affiliates to initiate mass drug administration programs, allocate resources, monitor progress, and eventually verify elimination.

Neglected Tropical Diseases is a group of diseases that afflicts 1 in 6 people, or approximately 1.4 billion individuals worldwide. NTDs are severely debilitating, lower cognitive function in children, and hamper economic development. Worldwide, 149 countries and territories are affected by at least one NTD, resulting in approximately 57 million years of life lost due to premature disability.

DDTD aspires to provide programs that have a global reach, as well as provide direct benefits to local communities and residents, such as those in California. We seek to reduce health inequity within local communities by providing a portfolio of low-cost Rapid Diagnostic Rests (RDTs) developed specifically for homeless individuals and people living in impoverished conditions.