NineSigma’s client is a leading global pharmaceutical company at the forefront of state-of-the-art biopharmaceutical research and innovation. As part of their innovation pursuits, they are launching a novel new treatment for Psoriasis, a chronic autoimmune disease that impacts over 125 million individuals globally. Psoriasis is characterized by red, scaly patches of skin and is known to reduce the quality of life of those affected significantly.
Prior to initiating treatment with advanced therapies such as biologics, patients are evaluated for TB infection as part of routine clinical practice. Though latent TB infections are asymptomatic, treatment of latent TB should be initiated before administering advanced therapies for Psoriasis to avoid the re-activation of infection and, therefore, to prevent potential health complications. Patients must also undergo regular TB screening (re-testing) every six to twelve months whilst on advanced therapy treatment to monitor their TB status and make treatment decisions accordingly.
TB tests commonly used in clinical practice for latent TB testing often require several days for processing and for results to be made available to the healthcare professional. As a result, latent TB testing does not currently fit into clinical practice workflows, which causes a significant delay in the timely treatment and management of patients with Psoriasis.
The client seeks to identify and implement a rapid point-of-care diagnostic test tailored to detect latent TB infections, which can deliver results within 20–30 minutes, that can be integrated smoothly into clinical settings, and can support electronic health record (EHR) and/or laboratory information system (LIS) compatibility.
Submissions to this Challenge must be received by Jan 16, 2025.
Source: NineSights