The effort to create a new, low-cost technology that could benefit millions of AIDS victims in Africa, showcased in this previous spotlight, is moving forward. J. Paul Robinson, a professor in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and the School of Veterinary Medicine, and his team will be meeting with officials and health-care professionals in Nigeria later this month to introduce the technology.

Developed with the aid of a $250,000.00 gift from the Parker Hannifin Corporation, this new technology will measure the content of CD4 cells at a fraction of the current cost. The amount of CD4 cells in the blood indicates both how well a patient's immune system is doing as well as how far AIDS has advanced. When the count drops below a set amount, the patient can then be given antiviral drugs; yet, because current technology is expensive to operate and maintain, the tests are too expensive for most Africans. University News Service has the full story.