Biomarker tests for tuberculosis: Point-of-residence diagnostics
Lee W. Riley, MD, School of Public Health, UC Berkeley
March 13, 2014 6 pm (Meet and greet with food at 5:30 pm)
Blum Hall B100
Globally, tuberculosis (TB) is the most common cause of adult death due to an infectious disease. The diagnosis of TB is complicated. Simply diagnosing the disease will not contribute to the control of this problem. TB control requires application of diagnostic tests at multiple levels. Most importantly, TB diagnostic tests need to be designed to facilitate transmission interruption. This is because by the time an individual with TB reaches a point-of-care (POC) facility, such a person would have infected at least 10 other close contacts. From these close contacts, new cases of TB will arise and such cases will infect 10 others before the diagnosis can be made. Thus, TB diagnostics must include the following performance characteristics: 1) predict who among those with latent TB infection (LTBI) will progress to active disease, 2) monitor response to treatment, once the treatment is initiated; 3) predict relapse TB; and 4) differentiate drug-resistant from drug-susceptible TB. We are analyzing host biomarkers that have these performance characteristics. In particular, we are examining host responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis phospholipid molecules predictive of these stages of TB infection. Once these biomarkers are identified, we plan to adapt an immunochromatographic platform to use the tests at the places where people live. In this way, we will be able to target high-risk populations with chemotherapy and greatly reduce the chances of new transmissions.
Lee W. Riley, MD, School of Public Health, UC Berkeley
March 13, 2014 6 pm (Meet and greet with food at 5:30 pm)
Blum Hall B100
Globally, tuberculosis (TB) is the most common cause of adult death due to an infectious disease. The diagnosis of TB is complicated. Simply diagnosing the disease will not contribute to the control of this problem. TB control requires application of diagnostic tests at multiple levels. Most importantly, TB diagnostic tests need to be designed to facilitate transmission interruption. This is because by the time an individual with TB reaches a point-of-care (POC) facility, such a person would have infected at least 10 other close contacts. From these close contacts, new cases of TB will arise and such cases will infect 10 others before the diagnosis can be made. Thus, TB diagnostics must include the following performance characteristics: 1) predict who among those with latent TB infection (LTBI) will progress to active disease, 2) monitor response to treatment, once the treatment is initiated; 3) predict relapse TB; and 4) differentiate drug-resistant from drug-susceptible TB. We are analyzing host biomarkers that have these performance characteristics. In particular, we are examining host responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis phospholipid molecules predictive of these stages of TB infection. Once these biomarkers are identified, we plan to adapt an immunochromatographic platform to use the tests at the places where people live. In this way, we will be able to target high-risk populations with chemotherapy and greatly reduce the chances of new transmissions.
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