Imagine trying to find a needle in a haystack without a magnet; that is how hard it is to diagnose TB in children in poor areas. This project tests a new set of decision-making rules that act like a guide for doctors to spot the disease without needing expensive X-ray machines. By testing this on 60,000 children, they are proving if these rules actually save lives and save money.
Pediatric TB is severely underdiagnosed in Sub-Saharan Africa due to a lack of expensive diagnostic equipment like X-rays. This leads to high mortality rates and missed treatment opportunities for nearly one million children annually.
A validated implementation model for Treatment-Decision Algorithms (TDAs) tested across 120 health facilities.
If you are a diagnostic company dealing with low adoption of high-tech tools in rural Africa — this project developed validated Treatment-Decision Algorithms (TDAs) that reduce dependence on unavailable services like chest X-rays. This creates a clear clinical pathway for where your simpler, cheaper tests can be integrated into routine care.
If you are a consultancy dealing with inefficient patient flow in primary health facilities — this project provides evidence from 120 facilities on how to implement TDAs. You can use this data to design training and operational models for other low-income regions.
If you are a pharma company dealing with a 60% undiagnosed rate for your target patient group — this project aims to increase case detection across 3 countries. More accurate diagnosis via TDAs directly expands the treated patient population for pediatric TB medications.
The project specifically aims to compare the costs and cost-effectiveness of TDA strategies against the standard of care. Based on available project data, the final results will determine the population-level impact on the TB burden.
Yes, the project is testing implementation in 120 primary health facilities across Tanzania, Uganda, and DR Congo. The goal is to inform the integration of these algorithms into national TB guidelines.
Based on available project data, the TDAs are based on WHO interim recommendations; the project focuses on implementation and validation rather than creating a proprietary patented tool.
The project is a four-year pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial running from April 2024 to March 2028.
Integration is managed by training healthcare workers and engaging District Health Management Teams to ensure the algorithms fit into routine clinical practice.
The consortium is research-heavy, consisting of 4 universities and 1 research institution, with a small industrial presence (1 company, 17% ratio). This suggests the output will be high-quality clinical evidence and guidelines rather than a commercial product. The partnership is strategically spread across Norway and three African nations (CD, TZ, UG), ensuring strong local access for the 120-facility trial.
Contact Universitetet i Bergen for clinical trial data and implementation results.
Contact SciTransfer to identify partners for pediatric diagnostic deployment in Sub-Saharan Africa.
