When Egypt confirmed its initial COVID-19 infection on February 14, 2020, the nation immediately grappled with a severe scarcity of PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing kits. Disruptions in global supply chains combined with unprecedented demand caused delays and inflated costs for imports. Despite receiving aid from the UK in mid-2020, the testing infrastructure remained insufficient for a population exceeding 100 million.
Nanotechnology expert Salma Tammam recognized a critical gap amid this crisis. “Hospitals were anxiously awaiting PCR kits that could take weeks to arrive, yet patients required results within hours,” she recalls.
Motivated by this urgent need, Tammam secured government funding and assembled a collaborative network comprising a public hospital, two laboratories, and a robotics firm. Together, they engineered a domestically manufactured COVID-19 test that could be deployed in hospitals without relying on cold-chain storage. After nine months of development, they introduced a fully operational diagnostic kit.
“That breakthrough changed everything,” Tammam reflects. “Witnessing our innovation transition from the lab bench to real-world impact inspired us to extend this approach to other diseases.”
This innovation led to the creation of Reme-D, a biotechnology startup dedicated to producing cost-effective, locally developed molecular diagnostic tools tailored for Africa and the Middle East. Officially established in 2022, Reme-D now processes over 50,000 tests monthly across 92 medical facilities in Egypt, with distribution expanding to Iraq, Sudan, and Kenya. Yet, Tammam’s vision reaches far beyond these figures, aiming to address the diagnostic shortfall affecting more than half of sub-Saharan Africa’s population.
Overcoming the cold chain challenge
At the heart of Reme-D’s innovation lies what Tammam describes as a “molecular fingerprinting technique.” This method starts by isolating genetic material-DNA or RNA-from patient samples such as blood, mucus, or nasal swabs.
Short, custom-designed DNA sequences known as primers latch onto specific pathogen genetic markers. PCR technology then amplifies these sequences exponentially until they become detectable. “Our detection system then confirms the presence of the pathogen and measures the viral or bacterial load,” Tammam explains.
What sets Reme-D’s kits apart is their ability to maintain reagent stability at ambient temperatures. Conventional PCR kits require continuous refrigeration, a significant obstacle in regions plagued by unreliable electricity. In many African healthcare settings, frequent power outages make maintaining a cold chain nearly impossible. According to the World Health Organization, only about half of sub-Saharan African hospitals have dependable electricity, with some countries reporting less than one-third of facilities having uninterrupted 24-hour power. Without refrigeration, enzymes degrade, reagents lose effectiveness, and entire diagnostic batches become unusable.
By applying nanotechnology and advanced lyophilization (freeze-drying) techniques, Reme-D’s reagents retain their efficacy for months without refrigeration. “This achievement was more than just a technical feat,” Tammam emphasizes. “It was about democratizing access to molecular diagnostics in resource-constrained environments.”
The outcome is a reduction in costs by up to 40%, while maintaining exceptional accuracy-over 95% sensitivity, meaning the test reliably detects disease presence, and 98% specificity, confirming when disease is absent. Moreover, the kits are customized to detect local pathogen variants often neglected by international manufacturers. “In some instances, our tests outperform imported alternatives because they are designed around the strains prevalent here,” she adds.
Accelerating blood screening processes
Reme-D’s technology has been rapidly adopted by blood banks. Traditionally, donated blood was screened using Chemiluminescent Immunoassays (CLIA), with PCR reserved for confirming positive results. This two-tiered approach often caused delays and uncertainty due to CLIA’s lower sensitivity, according to Tammam.
With Reme-D’s cost-effective PCR kits, the window period for screening has been shortened by 70%. “Now, every blood donation can be directly tested with PCR, significantly reducing turnaround times,” she notes. “This method is faster, more sensitive, and more economical.”
For patients, this means quicker access to safer blood transfusions. For blood banks, it translates into faster processing, reduced expenses, and enhanced confidence in the safety of each unit.
A deeply personal mission
Tammam’s commitment to expanding diagnostic access is rooted in personal experience. Her grandfather succumbed to Hepatitis C in the early 2000s due to delayed diagnosis-an outcome she believes could have been avoided with timely testing.
“Growing up in Egypt, I witnessed firsthand how diagnostic delays can be the difference between survival and death, especially with infectious diseases,” she shares. “I wanted to create solutions for the 80% of the global population that traditional diagnostic companies often overlook as ‘difficult markets.'”
This ethos shapes Reme-D’s pricing strategy. The company implements tiered pricing aligned with local economic realities, offering kits at 40-60% lower prices than imported equivalents. Local manufacturing combined with partnerships involving governments and NGOs for bulk procurement further drives down costs for patients.
Obstacles on the journey ahead
Despite its achievements, Reme-D faces considerable challenges. One major barrier is persuading investors that Africa and the Middle East can produce diagnostics that meet global standards.
“The toughest challenge lies at the crossroads of entrenched global biases and the reality that African nations are rarely recognized for biotech innovation,” Tammam explains.
She recounts a memorable encounter with a prospective collaborator who asserted that Africans could never develop diagnostic tests independently unless the technology originated in the West.
“I earned my doctorate in Germany,” Tammam responded. “Had I stayed abroad, I would be seen as a credible scientist. But I chose to return home to apply my expertise to the health challenges facing our communities. This decision enhances, rather than diminishes, my credibility.”
International accolades have helped counter skepticism. Winning the Bayer Foundation Women Empowerment Award, which included €25,000 ($29,000) in funding, validated Reme-D’s technology to potential partners and investors who might otherwise dismiss African innovation. “Out of 1,763 applicants from Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific, I was honored to be among the 15 women entrepreneurs selected,” she says.
Regulatory hurdles also complicate market entry. Each country enforces its own medical device approval process, often favoring established Western manufacturers. Regulatory frameworks for in-vitro diagnostics remain underdeveloped compared to those for pharmaceuticals across much of Africa.
Operational constraints persist as well. Although Reme-D’s Egyptian production facility can produce up to 12 million tests monthly, packaging bottlenecks currently limit output to 130,000 units. Presently, the company processes about 50,000 tests per month. Plans are underway to quadruple production capacity by mid-2026 to overcome this limitation.
Achieving this scale demanded ingenuity. Early growth was fueled by self-funding, followed by seed investment from the Oman Technology Fund, which helped raise approximately $1 million to transition from prototype to commercial manufacturing.
Vision for the future
As Reme-D prepares for commercial expansion into Nigeria and Libya-where their kits are already in pilot use-Tammam is focused on broader healthcare transformation. Beyond infectious diseases, the company is developing diagnostics for genetic conditions, cancer, and maternal health, leveraging their room-temperature reagent stability to save lives.
“Success means African patients no longer wait weeks for test results, but receive cutting-edge molecular diagnostics within hours at affordable prices,” she envisions. “I want Reme-D to inspire other African entrepreneurs to prove that world-class biotech companies can be built right here.”
For Tammam, the mission transcends business success. It’s about demonstrating that Africa-originated solutions can compete globally, challenging dependency mindsets and outdated stereotypes about African innovation.
In a continent where over half the population lacks access to essential diagnostic services, this breakthrough could literally be a lifesaver.
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