Technion develops 'quick, non-invasive' method of diagnosing tuberculosis
The novel method can diagnose the disease by means of a sticker patch that catches compounds released by the skin, using artificial intelligence to analyze them.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFUpdated: JUNE 27, 2021 13:13A health technician analyses blood samples for tuberculosis testing in a high-tech tuberculosis lab in Carabayllo in Lima, Peru May 19, 2016.(photo credit: MARIANA BAZO/REUTERS)
Researchers at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology have developed a new way of diagnosing tuberculosis cases, according to a statement.The novel method can diagnose the disease by means of a sticker patch that catches compounds released by the skin, using artificial intelligence to analyze them - resulting in a quick, non-invasive diagnosis.Their findings were published in the medical journal Advanced Science.The WHO’s annual TB report found that tuberculosis killed some 1.4 million people in 2019, not much less than the 1.5 million deaths it caused in 2018. The report warned that many countries are not on track to meet targets for successfully diagnosing and treating cases to stop the disease’s spread amid the coronavirus pandemic.Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHO’s report said, many countries had been making steady progress against TB, with a 9% reduction in incidence seen between 2015 and 2019 and a 14% drop in deaths during the same period."Early symptoms of tuberculosis are non-specific, complicating diagnosis. What makes matters worse is that currently existing diagnosis methods are slow, and at times too expensive or complex for resource-limited settings," Technion explained. "For example, a sputum smear ($2.60 to $10.50 per examination) is too expensive in a location where people live on $1/day, while a mycobacterial culture test takes 4–8 weeks and at least three visits by the patient to finalize the diagnosis and begin treatment."The device, termed an A-patch, is already in its clinical trial period and is a sought-after diagnostic tool. For Technion's version, Israeli researchers designed a sticker patch, which contains a pouch of absorbing material that collects compounds released through the skin, and that can be applied to a patient's arm.“Our initial studies, done on a large number of subjects in India and in South Africa, showed high effectiveness in diagnosing tuberculosis, with over 90% sensitivity and over 70% specificity," said Dr. Rotem Vishinkin, who led the study. "We showed that tuberculosis can be diagnosed through the compounds released by the skin. Our current challenge is minimizing the size of the sensor array and fitting it into the sticker patch.”According to the Technion, the diagnostic platform is cheap, fast and simple, and requires no special training to use. The institute hopes that the methodology can be used to diagnose other diseases and conditions, "making effective diagnosis accessible to remote areas in the world."Clinical trials took place at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, South Africa; the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, India; and the University of Latvia and Riga East University Hospital, Latvia.It was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Professor Gilla Kaplan, and its continued development is supported by Horizon 2020.Zachary Keyser and Reuters contributed to this report.
