Infectious Diseases: Novel diagnostics workshop

This two-day meeting will delve into common challenges shared by diagnostics developers. Through presentations and panel discussions, attendees will explore topics such as Technologies and Challenges, Regulatory and Adoption Challenges, and Regulation and Policy Perspectives.

This workshop is co-organised and funded by Imperial College London’s Institute of Infection, B2B2B Network, London In Vitro Diagnostics Co-operative, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, and DIAMONDS consortium. Funding is also provided by the UKRI IAA Healthy Society award and the Rosetrees Trust. 

Sessions and speakers

DAY 1: Monday, 25th March 

Introduction: 

  • Mike Levin (Imperial) | Why do we need new diagnostic approaches for infectious diseases?
  • Aubrey Cunnington (Imperial) | Why do we need new diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases?

    Technological Challenges
  • Host biomarker-based diagnostics
    • Myrsini Kaforou (Imperial) | Identification of host RNA biomarkers for infectious and inflammatory diseases
    • Jethro Herberg (Imperial) | Host transcript biomarkers: taking theory into practice
    • Shea Hamilton (Imperial) | Multi-platform approaches to identify blood-based host protein signatures for infectious and inflammatory diseases in children
    • David Antcliffe (Imperial) | Host response to sepsis and personalization of treatment
  • Molecular diagnostics
    • Andrea Cabibbe (Ospedale San Raffaele) | Culture-free whole genome sequencing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
    • Pantelis Georgiou and Jesus Rodriguez Manzano (Imperial/ProtonDx) | Revolutionising the world of rapid molecular testing with ProtonDx
  • Microfluidics and nanomaterials
    • Alex Sturm (Resistell) | 2-hour rapid AST based on bacterial vibrations
    • Mark Sutton (UKHSA) | Impedance-based, fast antimicrobial susceptibility test (iFAST) platform
    • Leah Frenette (Imperial) | Nanozymes for ultrasensitive detection at the point of care
  • Biosensors and imaging
    • Eva Rennen (Nostics) | 10 minutes to ID, point of care diagnostics platform for UTIs
    • Tara deBoer (BioAMP Diagnostics) | Evolving clinical microbiology beyond growth-based diagnostics
    • Tony Cass (Imperial) | Nucleic acid aptamers for sensing and imaging
    • Magdalena Karlikowska (Cytecom) | Growth-independent, rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing utilising bacterial optical electrophysiology)

Clinical applications and regulatory challenges

  • Early stage and real-world context of use
    • Peter Buckle (Imperial) | Early stage and real-world context of use
  • Imperial’s model for translation
    • Graham Cooke (Imperial) | Stimulating diagnostic innovation in an academic settings
    • Mike Romanos (Imperial) | Challenges and opportunities in the development and commercialisation of diagnostics
    • Daniel Morley (DNAe | Bringing next generation sequencing technology to the point-of-need for infectious disease and oncology diagnostics
  • Clinician workflow integration 
    • Annie Truong (MHRA) | Performance evaluations of in-vitro diagnostics
    • Christopher Longshaw (Shionogi B.V.) | Role of diagnostics when developing new antibiotics – the importance of getting it right
  • Comparability and interoperability 
    • John Hays, Nikolaos Strepis and Andrew Stubbs (Erasmus MC) | AMR Virtual – A pilot AMR gene prediction benchmarking platform

DAY 2: Tuesday, 26th March

Clinical applications and regulatory challenges (continued)

  • Microbiology laboratory workflows
    • Elita Jauneikaite (Imperial) | Optimisation of real-time whole genome sequencing for rapid detection of bacterial species and antimicrobial resistance from clinical samples
    • Susan Poutanen (University of Toronto) | Optimal integration of novel diagnostics into microbiology laboratory workflows
  • LMIC: Diagnostics access &appropriateness
    • Florence Pradel (Fondation Merieux) | Building local capacity to improve AMR diagnosis and surveillance
    • Catherine Kibirige (Imperial) | The HIVQuant Project – Developing affordable, easy-to-use, point-of-care HIV-1 diagnostics
  • Diagnostics stewardship
    • Tim Rawson (Imperial) | Optimising antimicrobial prescribing: challenges and solutions in diagnostic stewardship
    • Daniela Cirillo (Ospedale San Raffaele) | How lack of diagnostics has contributed to drug resistance: the case of bedaquiline
  • IP licencing, etc
    • Branwen Morgan (CSIRO) | Finding the right road to your diagnostic destination
    • Vjera Magdalenic-Moussavi (Imperial) | Creating Impact from Ideas – commercialising science

Policy proposals

  • Regulatory alignment
    • Till Bachmann (University of Edinburgh) | Diagnostics in current AMR Priority Agendas
    • Anita Suresh (FIND) | Infectious disease diagnostics: regulatory and policy considerations
  • Incentives for clinicians and CHWs
    • Ala Mohan (CSIRO) | Listeria risks and diagnostic regulatory policies in Australia
    • Jordi Vila (Institute of Global Health of Barcelona) | Incentives for clinicians and CHWs
  • Monitoring the effectiveness of diagnostics
    • Nicholas Graves (Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore) | Economic Analysis and the Adoption of Novel Diagnostics
    • Nishan Sunthares (ABHI) | Helping adopt diagnostics into the healthcare pathway
  • Innovative economic models
    • Chantal Morel (KPM Center for Public Management) | Perspectives on diagnostics in health financing: Do we have it right?
    • Akhil Bansal (AMR Funding Circle) | Novel market mechanisms to spur innovation in AMR

Funding innovative diagnostics: Lessons learnt and roadmap to future impact | Till Bachmann (University of Edinburgh)

  • Ann Berger | Rosetrees Trust
  • Shawon Lahiri | JPIAMR
  • Ian Newington | NIHR Coordinating Centre
  • Lesley Ogilvie | AMR R&D Hub
  • Phil Packer | Innovate UK
  • Caroline Purslow | Longitude
  • Betsy Wonderly-Trainor | CARB-X

Adoption of the London Declaration on Infectious Disease Diagnostics | Leonid Chindelevitch (Imperial/B2B2B network)

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