1. Centre for Clinical Microbiology Meeting
Capacity Development for TB-NEAT
Samana Schwank, PhD
Centre for Clinical Microbiology Meeting
11th of January 2012

2. OVERVIEW
What is TB-NEAT?
What is the UNZA/UCLMS partnership?
What are the outputs of this partnership?
Capacity Development for TB-NEAT
Future Directions of TB-NEAT

3. TB-NEAT
Novel and emerging technologies for TB diagnosis, in smear- negative and HIV-infected persons, in high burden countries.
Funded by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership and the MRC
Eg. Evaluation of GeneXpert, LAM, LAMP, Hain etc

4. UNZA/UCLMS UNZA/ UCLMS
The University of Zambia - University College London Medical School (UNZA-UCLMS) Research and Training Project 
African scientist-led, south-north partnership
Existing for 17 years
Over 20 million Euros obtained for research grant funding
At least 132 publications have resulted from this collaboration
72 of the publications are led by Zambian authors (16 Lancet papers)
Training of staff from the University of Zambia
Development of national and international networks
Clinical trials expertise
This partnership has resulted in several international prizes being awarded

5. Current International R&D Network
UNZA/UCLMS
Current International R&D Network

6. UNZA-UCLMS Paediatric TB Publications

7. Publishing in collaboration with Zambian scientists
CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
Capacity Development
Planning and providing courses for African scientists involved in TB-NEAT research
Publishing in collaboration with Zambian scientists
Collaborate on evaluating TB diagnostics methods together with scientists in Zambia

8. CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
Providing and arranging courses for scientists involved in TB-NEAT research
A course entitled ‘From DNA to Molecular Diagnostics’ was given in August 2011 at UNZA
A course is planned in 2012 at UNZA for all TB-NEAT researchers, covering:
-Economics of diagnostics
-Drug resistance
-Overview of current TB diagnostic methods
-Bioethics course
-Lab practical

9. CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
2. Publishing in collaboration with Zambian scientists
Trends of Zambia's tuberculosis burden over the past two decades Kapata N, Chanda-Kapata P, O'Grady J, Schwank S, Bates M, Mukonka V, Zumla A, Mwaba P. Trop Med Int Health Jul 29. doi: /j  

10. CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
3. Collaborate to evaluating TB diagnostics methods with scientists from UNZA
Evaluation of NTMs in Zambia
Objective: Learn about NTM prevalence in Zambia and evaluate NTM
diagnostic tests currently used, such as the HAIN CM and AS kit. 
Methods:
Positive BACTEC MGIT 960 cultures
DNA will be extracted
Real-time PCR will be run on all positive samples
Samples that are not within the MTC, will be identified with the speciation Hain kit
Samples where the Hain kit was used will be sequenced
All species will be identified by blasting the sequence
Goal:
-Accuarcy of Hain kit?
-Species found?
-HIV and NTMs?

11. FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Providing further support to Zambian scientists in the laboratory and providing support for publishing research
Aid Zambian scientists to enrol in PhD programmes
Hold the international capacity development course on TB diagnostics in Lusaka in 2012
Publish the NTM study

12. Collaborators: UCL-UNZA-LMU
Acknowledgements
Collaborators: UCL-UNZA-LMU