The 13th Advanced Course on Diagnostics (ACDx) was held at the Les Pensières Conference Center in Veyrier-du-Lac (France), from September 15 to 20, 2024. It was organized by the Mérieux Foundation and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The 23 participants from 18 countries were supported throughout the course by around 40 experts, helping them to understand the role of diagnostics in the fight against infectious disease. Plenary sessions, discussion panels, round tables, debates, and a technology forum gave them the space to learn and discuss new public health issues and diagnostic challenges, particularly in countries with limited resources.

Led by François-Xavier Babin of the Mérieux Foundation and Joseph Tucker of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), ACDx is structured around seven key sessions:

• The role of diagnostics in public health
• The role of diagnostics in preparation for epidemics
• Reinforcing laboratory systems to improve access to diagnostics
• Encouraging diagnostic innovation
• The role of diagnostics in the fight against antimicrobial resistance
• Diagnostic communication and public engagement
• Diagnostics and the durability of laboratory systems: partnerships and networks.

This year saw a new presentation on the use of artificial intelligence in diagnosing tuberculosis and group work on creative engagement in the field of diagnostics, which gave participants a chance to discover new tools to facilitate access to diagnostics. The session on communication and public engagement in diagnostic programs now forms an integral part of the curriculum, and the audience found it fascinating.

Once again, ACDx enabled influential people from varied backgrounds to strengthen their decision-making capacity in the service of diagnostics, through both the course itself and the ideal conditions it offers for sharing knowledge and building partnerships and networks.

Taking place every year at the Les Pensières Conference Center, ACDx is one of five intensive courses organized by the Mérieux Foundation, alongside ADVAC (advanced course on vaccinology), Afro-ACDx (advanced course on diagnostics in French-speaking Africa), AMR: a One Health Challenge (advanced course on antimicrobial resistance), and EpiCourse (advanced course on epidemiology in emergency situations).