Bengaluru-based genomics company MedGenome has partnered with Darshan GIVA Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, to pioneer a transformative approach to tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis and treatment.

The partnership aims at an access intervention pilot for offering Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) testing free of cost to pre diagnosed drug-resistant TB (DRTB) patients.

The goal is to integrate whole genome sequencing based TB testing into India’s National Tuberculosis Elimination programme and incorporating it into standard diagnosis recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). Simultaneously, the accuracy of the diagnostic results of WGS will be validated vis-a-vis gold standard diagnostic testing method, namely Liquid culture Drug Susceptibility Testing (LCDST) and Line Probe Assay 1 & Line Probe Assay 2 (LPA 1 & LPA 2).

Darshan GIVA Foundation (DGF) is at the forefront in this access intervention pilot with collaborative efforts partnering with government agencies, Mylan Pharmaceuticals and MedGenome. The project is aimed at supporting the Government of India’s 2025 TB elimination goals by making evidence-based recommendations for the use of WGS by clinicians, accelerating testing phase through accurate & quick determination of drug susceptibility in DRTB diagnosis, enabling customised & effective treatment for these DRTB patients.