the University of Oxford introduced groundbreaking research validating a free genomic analysis platform designed to enhance tuberculosis (TB) control efforts.

Bali – At the Union World Conference on Lung Health, the University of Oxford introduced groundbreaking research validating a free genomic analysis platform designed to enhance tuberculosis (TB) control efforts. Developed by EIT Pathogena, this cloud-based tool allows for automated, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTMs), offering an accessible and equitabble approach to drug resistance prediction and outbreak detection.With a dataset of 2,663 M.tb samples, the platform demonstrated over 95% accuracy in predicting resistance to critical TB drugs like isoniazid and rifampicin, making it a valuable tool for academics and public health professionals working to address TB drug resistance.“Our aim with this platform is to simplify WGS adoption in TB care, especially in resource-limited settings,” explains Dr. Philip Fowler, Associate Professor and lead researcher on the project. “Users can upload samples and receive results without needing extensive computational resources.”With TB designated a global health priority by the World Health Organization, EIT Pathogena’s platform directly supports the need for faster, more accurate TB analysis and resistance detection, particularly for multi-drug-resistant (MDR) TB cases.         Expanding to Global Pathogen Surveillance Supported by the Ellison Institute of Technology, Oxford, EIT Pathogena plans to broaden its focus beyond TB to track a wide range of pathogens, supporting faster public health responses in the future. The vision is to develop a global ‘always-on’ pathogen monitoring ecosystem and to inform treatment of infectious diseases through innovative point-of-care diagnostics and data-driven precision medicine.