Automated POCT for Pyrazinamide Drug Susceptibility Testing

The pyrazinamide (PZA) drug resistance testing recommended by WHO for tuberculosis treatment is seldom conducted due to stringent laboratory requirements, which makes it unreliable in most settings. The team has developed an automated test on its diagnostic system to detect mutation in the gene, thereby significantly reducing the time to result from three weeks to nine hours. This approach is expected to measure PZA enzymatic activity from sputum or cell culture, with the potential of a significant impact on Tuberculosis treatment. Furthermore, the technology’s wider application in measuring enzymatic activity holds promise for addressing similar needs in various fields. The prototype of the Pyrazinamide-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Detection kit showed more than 90% sensitivity, which makes it comparable to conventional methods.