Chika Odumere

Nigerian biochemist developing affordable HIV diagnostics for African healthcare systems

Chika Odumere (b. 1990) is a Nigerian scientist whose medical innovations are transforming HIV/AIDS treatment accessibility. As founder of AfriDiagnostics, she developed the HIV-QuickTest - a $1.50 paper-based diagnostic tool providing 98% accurate results in 15 minutes. This breakthrough addresses the 40% of sub-Saharan Africans lacking access to standard testing facilities.

Her 2020 study in Nature Communications revealed how nanotechnology can stabilize tests in tropical climates. Odumere's MamaCare Initiative has distributed 500,000 tests through mobile health units in 12 countries, reducing mother-to-child transmission rates by 28%. She established the African Bioinnovation Hub to train 200+ young scientists annually.

In 2022, she received the Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Award for her work on multiplex tests detecting HIV alongside malaria and tuberculosis. Odumere's TED Talk 'Lab in a Leaf' has inspired global health tech startups. Her vision of 'decentralized diagnostic ecosystems' is now being replicated in Southeast Asia through WHO partnerships. Chika's work exemplifies how local innovation can solve global health crises.