TB-CAPT @ UNION 2024 in Bali, Indonesia
The 2024 edition of the Union World Conference on Lung Health offered an excellent opportunity for the TB-CAPT consortium to present results from its research activities implemented during the five years of the project’s lifetime.
Thousands of lung health experts, including researchers, scientists, health professionals, doctors, civil society, affected communities, government officials, nurses and students from around the world attended the conference, which took place from 12-16 November 2024 in Bali, Indonesia.
Dr Alberto García-Basteiro presenting results from the TB-CAPT HIV (‘EXULTANT’) trial
During the oral abstract session entitled “Automation in TB diagnosis” in the afternoon of 14 November, TB-CAPT Principal Investigator Dr Celso Khosa from the Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS) of Mozambique presented the TB-CAPT CORE trial, which had set out to evaluate the effect of testing for tuberculosis (TB) using the Molbio Truenat platform in primary health care clinics in Mozambique and Tanzania. Data collected in the recently completed trial showed that the use of such a low-complexity device can lead to quicker diagnosis, and that same-day TB treatment initiation is possible. Compared to the current clinical standard, such an approach can thus significantly enhance patient care.
In addition, TB-CAPT contributed to the conference program with an oral presentation by Dr Alberto García-Basteiro of the Instituto de Salud Global de Barcelona (ISGlobal), who showcased the findings of the TB-CAPT HIV (‘EXULTANT’) trial in the context of the Union-CDC ‘epidemiology and programmatic’ late-breaker session on 15 November. The HIV trial aimed at assessing the impact of an expanded TB screening strategy in hospitals amongst newly admitted HIV-positive patients. At the Union Conference, Dr García-Basteiro reported that the screening strategy applied in the trial did not increase the proportion of microbiologically-confirmed TB patients starting treatment or lead to a reduced 8-week mortality; the trial, however, delivered interesting insights into the role and availability of certain samples (sputum, urine, stool) as well as the impact of the tests used (TB-ALM, Xpert Ultra) on the percentage of lab-confirmed TB patients starting treatment within 72 hours.
TB-CAPT experts also explored other opportunities to present project activities and results during the Union Conference 2024, e.g. in the New Diagnostics Working Group’s “New Tools Summit”, where Dr Adam Penn-Nicholson of FIND also described the set-up and main results of the TB-CAPT CORE trial, highlighting the project’s contribution to showcasing that decentralized molecular tuberculosis testing and same-day treatment initiation are feasible in high-TB-burden African countries.
Celebrating five years of fruitful collaboration
For the attending TB-CAPT partners, the Union Conference was also a much-welcomed opportunity for meeting face-to-face again one last time before the end of the project, as TB-CAPT will conclude at the end of 2024. An informal get-together over dinner gave them the chance to look back on their joint endeavor and celebrate the successful conclusion of a wide array of research, training, networking and capacity-building activities and associated achievements. TB-CAPT was a complex initiative that required a lot of commitment, resilience and stamina, but the consortium can be extremely proud to have overcome many challenges during the project lifetime and to have produced such fruitful outcomes that will help shape the future implementation of TB diagnostic strategies, including drug-susceptibility testing, and thus contribute to decrease TB mortality and disease recurrence.
