TriageTB Annual Meeting

On 15 and 16 November, the TriageTB consortium held its virtual year 2 annual meeting. This year, the meeting was held together with TriageTB’s sister project, the NIH-funded ENDxTB initiative. The two projects form one large study with the aim of advancing research into cost-effective, novel, and improved diagnostic strategies for TB. The setup allows for collaboration across multiple clinical sites in Africa (South Africa, The Gambia, Uganda) and Southeast Asia (Vietnam) and laboratories in the US and Europe.

During the meeting, the TriageTB consortium discussed progress made over the past year. The group has managed to successfully advance the project despite the significant challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Tremendous efforts were put into harmonization of protocols across sites, and clinical partners were able to pick up enrolment quickly and efficiently after the lockdowns.

The meeting included a session of the Scientific Advisory Board. Its members provided valuable feedback on the status of the project, including a concise SWOT analysis and targeted recommendations. Capacity development was also spotlighted at the meeting, with an interactive assessment of the ongoing capacity development activities and a joint brainstorming for ways to improve the support system, especially in the light of a continued lack of face-to-face meetings. For the upcoming months, the consortium feels confident that it can continue to move the clinical work forward and produce valuable results.