Burnet Institute to roll out cheap point-of-care HIV test

Burnet Institute has received US$1.6 million from UNITAID to begin evaluation studies of HIV test VISITECT CD4 in India and South Africa.

The point-of-care test uses a small amount of blood from a finger prick to determine when an HIV-positive patient should start lifesaving treatment. Results of the test are available after 40 min at a cost of approximately $5. As noted by UNITAID Executive Director Dr Philippe Duneton, “Affordable prices are critical to improve access in low-income countries.”

Professor Suzanne Crowe AM, associate director of Burnet Institute and co-developer of VISITECT CD4, explained, “There are about 2.1 million people living with HIV in India and, while patients attending many urban centres in India have excellent care, those living in rural areas lack access to affordable HIV monitoring tests.

“The low-cost, point-of-care VISITECT CD4 will greatly improve access to lifesaving anti-HIV drugs for potentially hundreds of thousands of HIV-positive people in India,” she continued.

Professor Crowe will announce the details of the project at the International Science Symposium on HIV and Infectious Diseases being held in India this week. She has already stated that the test “will be ready for field trials by July this year”.

The project is in collaboration with Omega Diagnostics, UK; YRG Care, India; University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa; and The Kirby Institute, Australia. VISITECT CD4 was developed through the support of the Victorian Government; CD4 Initiative; Axxin; ACH²; National Health and Medical Research Council; and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Dr Duneton said UNITAID has already committed over US$140 million to portable and easy-to-use HIV diagnostic technology. The latest grant is part of US$20 million of funding to four developers of easy-to-use HIV diagnostics designed for low-income countries, in order to stimulate competition and encourage improved technologies on to the market quickly at more affordable prices.