Center Activities

Clinical testing of prototype point-of-care diagnostics

The Center also strives to accelerate the development and deployment of point-of-care diagnostic tests essential to low-resource settings by conducting laboratory and field-based clinical testing of selected prototype point-of-care diagnostic tests.

PATH has extensive experience conducting laboratory validation and field-testing of early prototype devices. Field verification testing through the Center is a collaborative effort between PATH, the field site evaluators, and technology developers to solicit ongoing feedback on test performance, the appropriateness of target-detection analytes, and product usability and acceptability. The selection of each field site depends on disease prevalence and the suitability of that setting for each test, as well as the availability of local partners with the appropriate expertise and clinical infrastructure.

In 2009, the Center will issue a Request for Applications to identify, select and ultimately provide technical and financial support for clinical testing of up to two prototype technologies. Selection criteria will be focused on three main themes: health impact and stakeholder acceptance, relevance of attributes to the needs and realities of low-resource settings, and market issues relevant to low-resource settings.

Photo credit: PATH (Jennifer Fox)