scholarly journals NTD Diagnostics for Disease Elimination: A Review

Diagnostics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 375
Author(s):  
Emma Michelle Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Multiple Roles ◽  
Tropical Diseases ◽  
Point Of Care Testing ◽  
Disease Elimination ◽  
Attack Phase ◽  
Development Pipeline ◽  
Diagnostic Technologies ◽  
The Ideal

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) marked out for disease elimination provide a lens through which to explore the changing status of diagnosis in global health. This paper reports on the findings of a scoping review, which set out to explore the main debates around diagnosis for the elimination of NTDs, including the multiple roles diagnostic technologies are being ascribed and the ideal characteristics of tests. It also attempts to summarise the state of diagnosis for three NTDs with elimination goals. The review places special emphasis on point-of-care testing in acknowledgement of the remote and underserved areas where NTDs proliferate. Early NTD campaigns were largely focused on attack phase planning, whereby a similar set of interventions could be transplanted anywhere. Now, with elimination goals in sight, strategies must be tailored to local settings if they are to attain and sustain success. Diagnostic data helps with local adaptation and is increasingly used for programmatic decision-making. The review finds that elimination goals reframe whom diagnosis is for and the myriad roles diagnostics can play. The exigencies of elimination also serve to highlight deficiencies in the current diagnostic arsenal and development pipeline for many NTDs. Moving forward, a guiding framework is needed to drive research and stimulate investment in diagnosis to support NTD goals.

scholarly journals Corrigendum to “Advances in Immunology of Neglected Tropical Diseases: New Control Tools and Prospects for Disease Elimination”

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
Barbara Castro-Pimentel Figueiredo ◽  
Carina Silva Pinheiro ◽  
Fabio Vitarelli Marinho ◽  
Nestor Adrian Guerrero
Keyword(s):  
Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽  
Tropical Diseases ◽  
Disease Elimination

Alleviating the Neglected Tropical Diseases: Recent Developments in Diagnostics and Detection

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (18) ◽  
pp. 1559-1574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satakshi Hazra ◽  
Sanjukta Patra
Keyword(s):  
Pathogen Detection ◽  
Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Tropical Diseases ◽  
Antimicrobial Drug Resistance ◽  
Diagnostic Measures ◽  
Specificity And Sensitivity

Background: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are communicable diseases caused by a group of bacteria, viruses, protozoa and helminths prevalent in more than 145 countries that affect the world’s poverty stricken populations. WHO enlists 18 NTDs amongst people living in endemic areas having inaccessibility to preventive measures. Steps to reduce the global disease burden of the NTDs need attention at multi-factorial levels. Control programmes, mass drug administrations, transmission checks, eradication surveillances and diagnoses are some of them. The foremost in this list is confirmatory diagnosis. A comprehensive summary of the innovative, high-impact, multiplexed, low-cost diagnostic tools developed in the last decade that helped to meet the needs of users can depict a holistic approach to further evaluate potential technologies and reagents currently in research. Major Advancements: A literature survey based on developing nano-biotechnological platforms to meet the diagnostic challenges in NTDs towards development of a useful point-of-care (POC) unit is reported. However, in order to pave the way for complete eradication more sensitive tools are required that are user-friendly and applicable for use in endemic and low-resource settings. There are various novel research progresses/advancements made for qualitative and quantitative measurement of infectious load in some diseases like dengue, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis; though further improvements on the specificity and sensitivity front are still awaited. Strategies to combat the problem of antimicrobial drug resistance in diagnosis of NTDs have also been put forward by various research groups and organizations. Moreover, the state-of-the-art “omics” approaches like metabolomics and metagenomics have also started to contribute constructively towards diagnosis and prevention of the NTDs. Conclusion: A concrete solution towards a single specimen based common biomarker detection platform for NTDs is lacking. Identifying robust biomarkers and implementing them on simple diagnostic tools to ease the process of pathogen detection can help us understand the obstacles in current diagnostic measures of the NTDs.

scholarly journals Advances in Immunology of Neglected Tropical Diseases: New Control Tools and Prospects for Disease Elimination

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Castro-Pimentel Figueiredo ◽  
Carina Silva Pinheiro ◽  
Fabio Vitarelli Marinho ◽  
Nestor Adrian Guerrero
Keyword(s):  
Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽  
Tropical Diseases ◽  
Disease Elimination

scholarly journals Onchocerciasis drug development: from preclinical models to humans

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adela Ngwewondo ◽  
Ivan Scandale ◽  
Sabine Specht
Keyword(s):  
Drug Development ◽  
Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽  
Clinical Stage ◽  
Safety Margin ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
World Health ◽  
Program Goal ◽  
Medical Needs ◽  
Disease Elimination ◽  
Development Pipeline

Abstract Twenty diseases are recognized as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) by World Health Assembly resolutions, including human filarial diseases. The end of NTDs is embedded within the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, under target 3.3. Onchocerciasis afflicts approximately 20.9 million people worldwide with > 90% of those infected residing in Africa. Control programs have made tremendous efforts in the management of onchocerciasis by mass drug administration and aerial larviciding; however, disease elimination is not yet achieved. In the new WHO roadmap, it is recognized that new drugs or drug regimens that kill or permanently sterilize adult filarial worms would significantly improve elimination timelines and accelerate the achievement of the program goal of disease elimination. Drug development is, however, handicapped by high attrition rates, and many promising molecules fail in preclinical development or in subsequent toxicological, safety and efficacy testing; thus, research and development (R&D) costs are, in aggregate, very high. Drug discovery and development for NTDs is largely driven by unmet medical needs put forward by the global health community; the area is underfunded and since no high return on investment is possible, there is no dedicated drug development pipeline for human filariasis. Repurposing existing drugs is one approach to filling the drug development pipeline for human filariasis. The high cost and slow pace of discovery and development of new drugs has led to the repurposing of “old” drugs, as this is more cost-effective and allows development timelines to be shortened. However, even if a drug is marketed for a human or veterinary indication, the safety margin and dosing regimen will need to be re-evaluated to determine the risk in humans. Drug repurposing is a promising approach to enlarging the pool of active molecules in the drug development pipeline. Another consideration when providing new treatment options is the use of combinations, which is not addressed in this review. We here summarize recent advances in the late preclinical or early clinical stage in the search for a potent macrofilaricide, including drugs against the nematode and against its endosymbiont, Wolbachia pipientis.

Point-of-care testing: applications of 3D printing

Lab on a Chip ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (16) ◽  
pp. 2713-2739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ho Nam Chan ◽  
Ming Jun Andrew Tan ◽  
Hongkai Wu
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Point Of Care Testing ◽  
Device Development ◽  
Development Pipeline

We review recent advancements adopting 3D printing in the POCT device development pipeline, highlighting its utility in all analytical stages.

Adopting European Network for Health Technology Assessments (EunetHTA) core model for diagnostic technologies for improving the accuracy and appropriateness of blood gas analyzers’ assessment

2014 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiziana Franchin ◽  
Francesco Faggiano ◽  
Mario Plebani ◽  
Maurizio Muraca ◽  
Liliana De Vivo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Technology Assessment ◽  
Technology Assessment ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Health Technology ◽  
Core Model ◽  
Blood Gas ◽  
European Network ◽  
Point Of Care Testing ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Diagnostic Technologies

AbstractPoint-of-care testing (POCT) is a successful methodology for meeting clinical expectations of rapid and accurate results. Scientific literature has moreover highlighted and confirmed the necessity of individuating the best technological solution, in accordance with clinical requirements and contextualized to the whole health organization, where it will be implemented. Health Technology Assessment (HTA) can assist in reaching an appropriate and contextualized decision on a health technology. The aim of this study is to adapt a HTA core model for improving the evaluation of a POCT technology: blood gas analyzers.The European Network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA) core model for diagnostic technologies was applied for evaluating globally marketed blood gas analyzers. Evaluation elements were defined according to available literature and validated using the Delphi method.A HTA model of 71 issues, subdivided into 26 topics and 10 domains, was obtained by interviewing 11 healthcare experts over two rounds of Delphi questionnaires. Ten context parameters were identified in order to define the initial scenario from which the technology assessment was to begin.The model presented offers a systematic and objective structure for the evaluation of blood gas analyzers, which may play a guidance role for healthcare operators approaching the evaluation of such technologies thus improving, in a contextualized fashion, the appropriateness of purchasing.

Membrane Technology for Rapid Point-of-Care Diagnostics for Parasitic Neglected Tropical Diseases

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeleine J. Rogers ◽  
Donald P. McManus ◽  
Stephen Muhi ◽  
Catherine A. Gordon
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Disease Management ◽  
Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽  
Clinical Sample ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Tropical Diseases ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Low Socioeconomic ◽  
Point Of Care Diagnostics

Parasitic neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) affect over one billion people worldwide, with individuals from communities in low socioeconomic areas being most at risk suffering the most. Disease management programs are hindered by the lack of infrastructure and resources for clinical sample collection, storage, transport, and a dearth of sensitive diagnostic methods that are inexpensive as well as accurate.

Diagnostics for the control and elimination of neglected tropical diseases

Parasitology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 141 (14) ◽  
pp. 1789-1794 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROSANNA W. PEELING ◽  
DAVID MABEY
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽  
Unmet Need ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Tropical Diseases ◽  
Critical Component ◽  
Disease Elimination ◽  
Technical Developments

SUMMARYPractical diagnostic tools of sufficient sensitivity to detect levels of infection that can lead to transmission have been identified as a critical component of successful disease elimination programmes. In this review we describe the diagnostic tests currently available for six neglected tropical diseases that have been targeted for elimination; assess their performance in the light of the requirements for surveillance, certification of elimination and post-elimination surveillance; consider the unmet need for diagnostic tests for these diseases; and review recent technical developments that could meet these needs.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document