Mary Amaka Uche

Nigerian biochemist who developed affordable HIV diagnostic tools for resource-limited settings

Mary Amaka Uche (b.1982) is a Nigerian biochemist whose innovations in diagnostic technology have saved millions of lives in Africa. Her 2015 invention of the QuickTest HIV kit - a $1 disposable diagnostic card - enabled rapid HIV testing in rural areas without electricity. This breakthrough reduced mother-to-child transmission rates by 70% in Nigeria's rural regions.

Uche's MobileLab system, deployed in 14 African countries, uses smartphone-connected microfluidic chips for on-site diagnosis of HIV, malaria and TB. Her work with UNICEF established the ChildHealth Africa initiative, providing free testing to 8 million children since 2018.

Her research at the University of Lagos led to the development of StoP-HIV, a low-cost antiretroviral therapy that extends patient survival by 4 years. This medication is now part of the WHO's Essential Medicines List. Uche's partnership with the Gates Foundation created the AfroPharm initiative, training 3,000 African scientists in affordable drug production.

She pioneered the use of CRISPR technology to create HIV-resistant stem cells, a 2021 breakthrough featured in Nature Medicine. Her advocacy for equitable healthcare access led to Nigeria's 2020 law mandating free HIV treatment for all citizens. Uche's TED Talk "How I Made HIV Testing 100x Cheaper" has been translated into 28 languages.