TB-CAPT @ EDCTP Forum in Paris
This year’s EDCTP Forum in Paris offered an excellent opportunity for the TB-CAPT consortium to showcase exciting results from its research activities implemented since the start of the project. Under the theme “Partnering for Global Health Research Innovation and Impact in Africa” the 11th EDCTP Forum took place on 7-10 November 2023 in Paris, France.
During the scientific symposium Making diagnostics accessible – beyond diagnostic platforms and assays members from the TB-CAPT consortium as well as National TB Programme and Laboratory service managers discussed different strategies to enhance access to effective TB diagnostics, including decentralization of two point-of-care platforms, a diagnostic algorithm for people living with HIV admitted to hospital and the practical implementation of a rapid drug susceptibility test to allow individuals with MDR/RR- TB to be started on more timely, appropriate treatment. TB-CAPT experts also explored opportunities provided by different sample-types that were obtained during TB-CAPT clinical studies in those patients unable to produce a sputum sample.
Thus, the TB-CAPT consortium explained in detail how it responds to the fact that timely and appropriate diagnosis and treatment is the key to reducing TB mortality, morbidity and to prevent transmission.
Beside the symposium, TB-CAPT members and collaborators contributed to the EDCTP Forum program with the presentation given by Akash Malhotra (Johns Hopkins University) Health system costs of decentralized TB diagnostic testing with Molbio Truenat MTB/RIF vs. hub-and- spoke GeneXpert MTB/RIF in Mozambique and Tanzania and the poster User perspectives on Molbio MTB for use as a decentralized Point-Of-Care diagnostic test in Mozambique and Tanzania prepared by Maria Del Mar Castro Noriega (Heidelberg University Hospital).
In sum, 15 members from eight partner institutions represented the consortium during the 11th EDCTP Forum in Paris and found the event to be extremely fruitful in terms of networking and exchanging with other stakeholders.
Moreover, they were impressed by the impact made by the initiative. In a survey of TB-CAPT participants following the event, one representative stated:
The Forum demonstrated the EDCTP's impact in capacity development in Africa. Over the 20-year period, students whose postgraduate projects were funded by the EDCTP are now contributing to the Forum as Professors, leaders in their fields and coordinators of consortia.
