Researchers of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) have joined as one of eight organisations establishing TEST4TPT: a new international consortium across Africa and Europe to strengthen access to tuberculosis (TB) preventive treatment (TPT).
The consortium will work on TB prevention across Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda. TEST4TPT will focus on the earlier identification of people exposed to TB, better ways of connecting them to preventive care, and also improving the sustainability of the countries’ research cultures.
As part of the consortium, the TB Modelling Group based at LSHTM will lead on the economic evaluation analysis of various strategies to infer Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection and provide TB preventive treatment. This will look at how accurately AI tools (SmartPatch and TBConnect smart app) read results from SIILTIBCY skin tests for detecting exposure to Mtb, and whether these are best implemented in households or clinical settings.
More broadly, the project will look at whether the AI tools improve the uptake and completion of TPT. This is the treatment given to people who have been exposed to Mtb, but do not have TB disease.
TPT can effectively reduce the risk of developing TB disease, but its uptake remains far below global targets in many high-burden settings. This is due to various barriers such as a lack of TPT provision for people older than five in national guidelines, and limited access to testing.
Alvaro Schwalb, Assistant Professor at LSHTM, said: “We hope TEST4TPT means more people receive TPT and more solid evidence on the most cost-effective way to deliver preventive treatment for tuberculosis.”
According to the latest report of the World Health Organization (2025), TB remains the world's leading infectious disease killer. Every year, millions of people are exposed to M. tuberculosis through close contact with family members, friends, and others in their communities. TEST4TPT will aim to better protect these communities from progressing to TB disease by improving the uptake and completion of TPT.
The consortium will apply its collective expertise in clinical research, implementation science, health economics, modelling, digital health, community engagement, and TB programme implementation.
The project is being implemented in close collaboration with national TB programmes, health workers, communities, and partner institutions across Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda.
TEST4TPT is coordinated by KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation (the Netherlands) and implemented by: The National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) and MKUTA in Tanzania; Manhiça Health Research Center (CISM) in Mozambique; Makerere University Lung Institute (MLI) and Mildmay Research Centre Uganda (MRCU); Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in Spain; and LSHTM.
TEST4TPT is conducted with financial support from Global Health EDCTP3, as part of the Horizon Europe Programme, and co-funded by European Union.
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