Coordinator
Dr. Ruth McNerney, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK Personal page
Deputy: Dr. Catharina Boehme, FIND, Switzerland Personal page
Website
Project 2012
Volatile organic compounds and breath tests
The first half of 2012 has seen a flurry of activity regarding analysis of volatile organic compounds and breath tests. We present here an overview of recent publications prepared by the Coordinator of the NDWG Subgroup on Point-of-care Diagnosis:
Project 2010-2011
Development of technical guidelines on the collection, processing and storage of TB specimens
Reference materials are indispensable for biomarker discovery and the development of point-of-care tests for tuberculosis. Sample collection, processing and storage are critical steps in specimen banking and need to be standardized and quality-assured. Up to the present there is no repository of recommended protocols for collection and storage of samples for use in diagnostic test development and in several working areas little knowledge on best specimen processing methods is available.
The goal of this project is to develop technical guidelines on the collection, processing and storage processes for various specimen types with relevance for TB detection, taking into account the specific needs of classical and new biomarker discovery fields. By filling this gap we hope to encourage storage of specimens in ways best suited for future TB diagnostic test R&D.
Project 2009
Organization of a scientific symposium on point of care TB tests and development of a point of care website
In order to support development and evaluation of point-of-care tests for tuberculosis, a collaborative effort was called for to optimize the research process and avoid duplication and loss of resources. Compiling published information and networking has been identified by the Subgroup as a requirement to better address the lack of appropriate TB diagnostic tests in resource constrained settings.
The project aimed to facilitate information flow among scientific community about the need to develop point of care TB diagnostic tests for TB case detection at primary health care level and engaged in the organization of a scientific symposium and the development of a website and sharepoint (please see link above).