We’re proud to announce Team 64 – NeuroBridge from the University of Alabama at Birmingham as the winners of the 2025 Hackathon. Their project, NeuroBridge, is an innovative, low-cost blood biomarker diagnostic kit designed to bridge the stroke care gap in rural and underserved communities. Created by Abdulraheem Kaimari (MD-PhD Student, UAB MSTP), Riyaz Razi (MD Student), and Hazel Cho (MD Student), the team developed a solution aimed at saving lives where time, resources, and access to physicians are critically limited.
In many rural clinics, especially in Latin America and other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), stroke patients often arrive at facilities without diagnostic imaging tools or a physician on site. This leads to dangerous delays in diagnosis and treatment, increasing the risk of permanent disability or death. A critical challenge is differentiating between ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes—each requiring entirely different care. The wrong intervention, such as administering tPA (a clot-busting drug) during a hemorrhagic stroke, can be fatal.
NeuroBridge addresses this issue head-on with a $25 diagnostic kit that uses fingerstick blood samples to test for two biomarkers: GFAP and D-dimer. The kit enables nurse technicians to make immediate, evidence-based decisions even in the absence of a physician. A positive GFAP and negative D-dimer result indicates a hemorrhagic stroke; the reverse suggests ischemic stroke. This simple binary test provides actionable clarity within minutes.
The kit also includes aspirin, clopidogrel, written dosing instructions, laminated triage tools, and access to an emergency hotline. Its minimal cost and ease of use make it ideal for deployment in remote areas where resources are limited but the need for rapid stroke care is urgent. Clinical validation shows the test achieves 94 percent specificity and 82 percent sensitivity, with a positive predictive value of 97.6 percent.
The potential impact is immense. NeuroBridge not only accelerates treatment and improves outcomes but also helps health systems reduce costs by an estimated $650 per patient. These savings come from shorter hospital stays, better pre-transfer stabilization, and improved coordination with stroke centers. The team’s go-to-market strategy begins with a pilot in rural Oaxaca, Mexico, expanding to over 30 clinics in two states within two years, and then scaling across Latin America by year five through public health systems and NGO partners.
NeuroBridge represents the kind of solution that doesn’t just innovate—it meets people where they are. It empowers rural clinics, protects vulnerable populations, and creates a model for scalable, cost-effective triage around the world. Team 64’s work is a testament to what is possible when compassionate healthcare meets scientific ingenuity.
Congratulations to Team 64 for their outstanding work and well-deserved victory. This is a major step forward in advancing health equity and ensuring that no patient is left behind, no matter where they live.
Meet the team behind the idea
