ICMR Strengthens Strategies for Faster & More Accurate Tuberculosis Diagnostics

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel, announced these developments at the India Innovation Summit – Pioneering Solutions to End Tuberculosis, held on March 18 in Delhi.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), in collaboration with the Central TB Division (CTD) under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), has introduced new diagnostic tools to improve tuberculosis (TB) detection and treatment. 

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel, announced these developments at a recent event.

The Minister stated, “ICMR has validated three indigenous handheld X-ray devices, which makes it possible to reach vulnerable population groups for TB screening. Handheld devices offer advantages of low weight, portability, and low radiation exposure and are being used in the 100-day accelerated program.”

New Diagnostic Tools Validated by ICMR

ICMR, in partnership with the Institute of Plasma Research, Ahmedabad, has developed DeepCXR, an artificial intelligence-based tool for analyzing chest X-rays. 

The Minister said, “ICMR partnered with the Institute of Plasma Research, Ahmedabad, to develop DeepCXR, a tool for artificial intelligence-based reporting of chest X-ray films.”

Another validated tool is CyTb, a skin test developed by the Serum Institute of India for detecting latent TB. 

“ICMR has also validated CyTb skin test for detection of latent TB infection, developed by Serum Institute of India against Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA), which is the preferred test for latent TB detection. However, IGRA is expensive and may not be feasible to be introduced in resource-limited countries. Overall, the performance of CyTb was better than the currently used tuberculin skin test,” she stated.

Advancements in Molecular Testing

ICMR has also validated PathoDetect, an indigenous molecular diagnostic NAAT test for simultaneous detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and first-line drug resistance to rifampicin (RIF) and isoniazid (INH). 

“ICMR conducted a multicentric validation of PathoDetect, an indigenous molecular diagnostic NAAT test that can perform 32 tests simultaneously. Overall, the performance of PathoDetect was comparable to other molecular assays,” the Minister said.

Additionally, ICMR validated the Quantiplus MTB FAST Detection Kit, which was developed by Huwel Lifesciences. 

“The Quantiplus MTB FAST Detection Kit developed by Huwel Lifesciences is the first in the world indigenous open system RTPCR kit developed in India and validated by ICMR. Compared to the gold standard liquid culture, the kit's sensitivity is 86%, and the specificity is 96%. These kits are likely to be low-cost and potentially expand the outreach of TB molecular testing, including more than 3,300 RTPCR machines used during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Minister added.