Lead exposure is one of the most widespread and overlooked threats to child health. CHAI and Renaissance Philanthropy have published a consensus Target Product Profile (TPP) that defines what a rapid, low-cost blood lead level test should deliver, to accelerate the development of tools that can close a public health need.
Context
- An estimated 1 in 3 children worldwide, around one billion, have blood lead levels above the WHO threshold of 5 μg/dL
- Lead exposure causes irreversible cognitive harm and significant economic loss
- Blood lead testing remains scarce in many countries because reference methods are laboratory-based, costly, and centralized
Goals of the TPP
- Defines acceptable and desirable requirements across 40 attributes in eight categories, from analytical performance to price and usability
- Identifies the primary use case as screening to triage individuals for confirmatory testing
- Gives developers, funders, and buyers a shared, credible target to build and invest against
Next steps
- The TPP is the technical foundation for a broader effort to accelerate the development and availability of affordable blood lead testing, with more to share later this year
Acknowledgements
- Developed by CHAI and Renaissance Philanthropy with funding from Coefficient Giving and Arnold Ventures
- We deeply appreciate the participation of the Expert Advisory Group, focus group participants, and all those who responded during the public comment period
