Scientists Collaborate on Tuberculosis Test

Patient enrollment has commenced in a clinical trial of a new diagnostic test for tuberculosis being developed by scientists from European research centers.

The procedure currently used for diagnosing tuberculosis involves culturing specimens and examining them for Mycobacteria. This can take up to three months to complete and is not always reliable. Meanwhile, the individuals who do have tuberculosis may be unaware of their condition at a time when they are highly infectious. This is a serious problem in many parts of the developing world and a growing problem in the United States.

SpaXen Italia S.R.L., a collaborative venture between Xenomics (New York, NY, USA) and Italy's National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani” (INMI, Rome, Italy), will lead an international consortium focused on the development of a new diagnostic test for tuberculosis using Xenomics' Tr-DNA technology. The consortium includes researchers from Italy, the United Kingdom, Zambia, Germany, the Mbeya Foundation (Tanzania), and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND, Geneva, Switzerland).

"Xenomics' technology is based upon the fact that cellular DNA from throughout the body crosses the kidney barrier and accumulates in the urine,” said Dr. L. David Tomei, CEO and co-founder of Xenomics. "Through the analysis of easily obtained urine samples, these Tr-DNA fragments provide immediate and vital information about a wide range of conditions inside the body, including serious infectious diseases.”



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