The test, known as MODS (Microscopic Observation Drug Susceptible Assay) is able to confirm the presence of TB from sputum samples in one week on average, taking one third to one quarter of the time of a standard TB test. At the same time, the new test is able to spot if the TB is drug resistant which is five to ten times faster than existing tests. The test costs $2 to perform compared with around $30 to $40 for a standard test.

Dr David Moore, from Imperial College London, and the winner of the Award said: "This test can be carried out using cheap and readily available tools and requires relatively little training or expertise. This is particularly important in developing countries which may not have the infrastructure we take for granted in the developed world."

Each year around 8 million new cases of TB are diagnosed, and 1.7 million people die from TB, often as a result of delayed diagnosis and through not being able to spot if the TB is drug resistant.

Working with colleagues from Peru's National TB Programme, the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, AB PRISMA, and John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the team realised many TB patients were dying unnecessarily largely due to an inability to cheaply and quickly diagnose TB. They have now completed proof of principle studies, evaluated the test in large-scale field trials, and are now looking at strategies for implementation and roll-out to optimize impact and cost-effectiveness.

Professor Jon Friedland, from Imperial College London, who helped develop the test, added: "TB is a major cause of mortality in the developing world, and eradicating it has been made d
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Contact: Tony Stephenson
at.stephenson@imperial.ac.uk
44-207-594-6712
Imperial College London
7-Nov-2005