Dr Elisabeth Adams, Managing Director of Aquarius Population Health, presented on opportunities for rapid tests in influenza and HPV at international conferences in June.
This has been a busy week for the Aquarius Population Health team. We had two posters at the Society for Medical Decision Making in London (12-15th June), which Elisabeth presented. The posters showcased results from two studies we have done looking at the impact of implementing a rapid near-patient test for influenza and RSV. This was a collaborative project with Enigma Diagnostics and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust. Results indicated that a rapid test could improve clinical management of patients with influenza, and could save commissioners money. It also illustrated how a rapid test could prevent unnecessary isolation bed days compared to current practice (presumptive isolation while waiting for results of the standard laboratory test results for influenza).
Elisabeth was also an invited speaker at a symposium sponsored by Cepheid at EUROGIN (EUropean Research Organisation on Genital Infection and Neoplasia) in Salzburg, Austria (15-18th June). Her talk focused on the opportunities in the current cervical cancer screening pathway, in particular using exciting new technologies such as rapid HPV tests and self-collected samples for testing. This opens up new ways to reach women who are currently unscreened, and who could benefit most from screening. These new technologies bring the potential for improved healthcare and outcomes both across Europe, and in low and middle-income countries.
Aquarius Population Health is currently involved in projects exploring the impact of rapid tests for globally relevant infectious and non-infectious diseases, including cancer, antimicrobial infection and sexual health.
