With the theme “Transforming evidence into practice”, this get-together was an opportunity for the Mérieux Foundation to present its initiatives in the field of research and innovation, developed to support national programs for dealing with TB in areas with limited resources.

During the conference, Jonathan Hoffmann, head of the Tuberculosis (TB) program at the Mérieux Foundation, took part in the session on November 16 on “The T-SPOT.TB test: designing clinical studies and gathering data to improve access to tests that detect TB infection”, chaired by Dr. Ruth Brignall.

This session brought together a group of experts exploring the critical role that clinical trials play in developing and utilizing TB diagnostics. The focus was on the importance of supporting operational research in diagnostics in regions with a high incidence of TB.

Dr. Jonathan Hoffmann presented the main results of the APRECIT project, which is due to end in March 2024. The aim of this project is to improve the screening and treatment of latent TB infection in Madagascar and Cameroon. Addressing the issue of latent TB (the silent form of tuberculosis) is a key element of anti-TB policy in countries with a high incidence of TB. The detection and early treatment of latent TB prevents the development of an active, symptomatic and contagious form of the disease. Dr. Hoffmann’s presentation shed light on the main results of this project, which is funded by L’Initiative and run in partnership with the national programs for dealing with TB, the Institut Pasteur in Madagascar and the Pasteur Center in Cameroon.

For over 100 years, the Union World Conference on Lung Health has brought together experts to present the latest scientific progress made in all areas of lung health. As well as generating new evidence from research projects, the objective of the Union is to implement actions and encourage their adoption in local health policies.

As well as latent TB, the issue of pediatric tuberculosis was a major topic at this Union conference. In 2022, around 1.25 million children and young teenagers (0-14 years old) worldwide caught TB, but about 50% of these children were not diagnosed or were not reported to national programs for dealing with the disease. In its new roadmap, the World Health Organization (WHO) is developing various actions aiming to improve TB in children, adolescents, and pregnant and post-partum women.

Our actions at the Mérieux Foundation in the field of research and innovation are aligned with this WHO strategy, such as the DEDICATE project developed in Bangladesh, which assesses the performance and utilization of innovative approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric TB.