The test, called RISK6, can identify healthy individuals who are at risk of developing tuberculosis (TB) disease, identify people with subclinical or clinical disease and contribute to understanding how well a patient would respond to treatment. And it has now been validated in seven cohorts across two continents.
The researchers also showed that RISK6, which can be applied to capillary blood collected by finger prick, could be developed into a rapid, fingerprick blood-based test device for use at points of care.
This Nature publication paves the way for studies to evaluate and implement the test in community and primary care settings.