Welsh researchers have been awarded funding of almost £1.2 million to develop a new detector for tuberculosis in humans and animals that can report a result in one hour.

The technology will be simple enough to be operated by any healthcare worker or veterinarian. It will be more specific and more sensitive than existing methods as well as significantly quicker than other types of tests.

Supported by funding from UKRI, the project brings together experts in tuberculosis, veterinary medicine, microbiology, microwave and photonic engineering, to develop a new solution to this global health problem.

TB is a major cause of suffering and death in humans and animals worldwide and is the second leading infectious killer of humans after COVID-19. There are currently around 10 million recorded human TB infections per year, with a death rate of 1.8 million per year.

The lack of a rapid accurate diagnosis, particularly in poorer nations, often leads to misdiagnoses and ineffective treatment of TB patients.

Professor Glyn Hewinson, Sêr Cymru research chair in the Centre of Excellence for Bovine Tuberculosis at Aberystwyth University, said:

“The impact of TB is devastating, so developing a rapid diagnosis method could be truly transformative. Eliminating the human TB epidemic by 2050 is a key UN Sustainable Development Goal, and the World Health Organization highlights the need for more effective rapid diagnostic tests as a critical step. We are looking forward to working with our colleagues in Cardiff to make advances in this important area of research.”

The high prevalence of TB in cattle in parts of the UK has a major effect on both the livelihoods and wellbeing of farmers. The surveillance, diagnostic testing, badger culling and vaccination costs the UK government alone a total of £100 million per year.

Professor Les Baillie, Professor of Microbiology at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Cardiff University, and co-lead on the project said:

“Tuberculosis is a particular problem for farmers in Wales who have seen bovine TB decimate herds across the country. Diagnosis of the early stages of infection is challenging due to the lack of rapid, accurate tests.

“To address this, we are working with colleagues from Aberystwyth University to advance the development of a real-time test capable to detecting the presence of the pathogen in clinical and environmental samples.”

Aberystwyth experts will lead on the development and evaluation of an optical device which will for the first time attempt to solve issues with sample impurities and sensitivities.

Professor Nigel Copner, Head of the Business School and Academic Lead for the Engineering Unit at Aberystwyth University said:

“PCR testing is the gold standard for detecting pathogens but requires special processing for high sensitivity. However, most detection methods struggle with sample impurities.

“Using techniques developed in Cardiff, the photonics team at Aberystwyth University has innovated a method that enables high sensitivity detection directly from on-site samples, without needing time-consuming purification. If successful, this technique could achieve near-PCR sensitivity at the point of sampling, potentially revolutionising pathogen pandemic management.”

Further investment in the project will allow the new technology to be reduced in both size and cost to create a simple, low-cost detector, which will have particular benefit for use in developing countries.

The platform can be easily adapted to detect most other pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2 and MRSA, and could become an important tool to help control the spread of future pandemics.

The project is being funded by the UKRI cross research council responsive mode (CRCRM) pilot scheme, which is supporting new and creative interdisciplinary ideas emerging from the UK’s research community. The project has been awarded £1,199,669 and is one of 36 projects being funded by the £32.4 million UKRI CRCRM scheme.