Tackling the problems
With TB as its starting point in 2003, FIND soon added malaria and human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) to the diseases for which it was developing new diagnostic paths. This disease-centred approach made sense in the early days because it enabled existing technologies to be adopted and upgraded. Working closely with industry, we have addressed the challenges of smear microscopy – the Primo Star iLED fluorescent microscope developed together with Carl Zeis GmbH – and liquid culture / drug susceptibility testing - the Mycobacterium Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT-TB) developed together with Becton, Dickinson & Company.
One of the key criteria for selecting technologies for further development is their potential to significantly improve either the ease of handling or the time to result. This is the case with the Capilia TB test developed in partnership with Tauns Co Ltd. Not all acid-fast bacilli (AFB) grown in culture are Mycobacterium tuberculosis and existing tests for confirming identification of M. tuberculosis are time consuming and complex. The Capilia TB test, a simple and fast lateral flow technology, allows the confirmation of M. tuberculosis in cultures in just 15 minutes.
In its early years, FIND, true to its Product Development and Implementation Partnership model, invested in building relationships with academia, industry and other international organizations. Today, we maintain working and consultative collaborations with some 150 organizations, companies and institutions which include the WHO Stop TB Partnership, Roll Back Malaria, and the Pan-African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC) among others. These relationships have proven to be strong foundations which have significantly contributed to strengthening the FIND product pipeline, and to bringing easy to use and effective tests closer to where the patients first seek care.