Global health R&D at work in New Jersey
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School has helped develop a new rapid test for tuberculosis (TB). The test, Xpert® MTB/RIF Ultra, is a second-generation version of a test that revolutionized TB diagnosis. Like its predecessor, Ultra is fast, accurate, easy to use, and needs no extra equipment—making it particularly suitable for low-resource settings. But Ultra is better able to detect TB in children, people with HIV, and certain drug-resistant cases. Results from Ultra allow patients to start on treatment quickly, increasing treatment success rates and reducing the spread of the world’s top infectious killer.