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Union Conference on Lung Health 2018

FIND-NDWG Symposium

Great turnout at this year’s symposium

Jointly organized by FIND and the New Diagnostics Working Group (NDWG), this year’s symposium presented an overview of the most recent advances in the global TB diagnostics pipeline and reviewed progress made towards ending the TB epidemic. The symposium was very well attended.

Welcome and introduction: Catharina Boehme, FIND and Daniela Cirillo, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, NDWG

Dr Eric Goosby giving his opening talk

From the UN High-Level Meeting on TB to finding all the patients, Eric Goosby, UN Special Envoy on Tuberculosis [Speech (PDF)]

Session 1: Updates on the global TB diagnostics pipeline

  • Progress in the TB diagnostics pipeline and in the development of triage tests, Claudia Denkinger, FIND [Presentation (PDF)]
  • Point of care molecular technologies – challenges to meeting the ASSURED criteria, Jim Gallarda, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation [Recording of presentation]
  • WHO Rapid Communication: Key changes to the treatment of multidrug- and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis and the implications for diagnostics, Christopher Gilpin, World Health Organization [Recording of presentation]
Panelists from L to R: Nestani Tukvadze; Hamidah Hussain; Liz Corbett; Keertan Dheda; Sarabjit Chadha; Titus Diyala

Session 2: Panel discussion: A new priority for TB diagnosis: active case finding strategies to catalyze country efforts 

Introduction and Moderator: Liz Corbett, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine [Recording of presentation]

The panel discussion highlights the key role of active case finding as a complementary strategy next to passive approaches in order to ensure early diagnosis and treatment of TB patients and reduce transmission. Panelists discuss which risk groups should be screened in priority, the interventions to be considered in order to maximize impact, and the current research gaps. [Recording of panel discussion]

Panelists:

  • Sarabjit Chadha, FIND India
  • Keertan Dheda, University of Cape Town, South Africa
  • Titus Diyala, Malawi
  • Hamidah Hussain, IRD Global, Pakistan
  • Nestani Tukvadze, National Center for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Georgia
Tobias Broger on Bm2Dx

Session 3: NDWG Task Forces: Accelerating development of new tests to end TB – 16:15-17:00

  • Real-time sequencing in the real world of TB – are we ready for prime time? Camilla Rodrigues, Hinduja Hospital [Presentation (PDF)]
  • Bm2Dx: the one-stop-shop for TB diagnostic biomarker evidence, quality, and R&D progress, Tobias Broger, FIND [Recording of presentation] [Video on Bm2Dx]

 

Conference website