For the past five years, the International Centre for Point-of-Care Testing (ICPOCT) within the College of Medicine and Public Health has been a principal investigator in a large multi-faceted, multi-country validation study of point-of-care (POC) testing for sexually transmitted infections (STI) led by the World Health Organization (WHO). The so-called ProSPeRo study – the first of its kind to be undertaken globally – comprised several arms including (i) a comparison of the performance of molecular-based STI POC testing for chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomoniasis in clinic-based settings with that of reference laboratories in 4 different countries (South Africa, Guatemala, Morocco and Australia), and (ii) the establishment of a training and quality management program for STI POC testing for these pathogens in 8 countries (the four mentioned plus Italy, Malta, China and Peru). ICPOCT was involved in both of these arms, which formed part of the Centre’s work as a designated WHO Collaborating Centre.
The results of the study were presented at a recent WHO Global Webinar held on 29 February 2024. Professor Mark Shephard (Co-Director of ICPOCT) presented the results of the arms involving the International Centre at the webinar, which also featured speakers from Switzerland (WHO), United Kingdom, Italy and USA. The global webinar coincided with the publication of selected results of the ProSPeRo study in a special Supplement of BMC Infectious Diseases. The ICPOCT team, led by Professor Shephard and Co-Director Dr Susan Matthews, was the principal author in two publications in the Supplement.
Dr Igor Toskin, the lead researcher in the ProSPeRo study from the WHO, commented on the International Centre’s contribution to the study: “I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to you [Professor Shephard] and your team for the outstanding technical/scientific support, contribution and collegial attitude you have continuously provided/demonstrated throughout the implementation of this project.”
Professor Shephard noted: “I would like to thank my International Centre colleagues Dr Susan Matthews and Kelly Andrewartha [Program Lead, STI and Respiratory Infection POCT Programs] for their significant contributions to the research and publications emanating from this study, as well as the many highly valued investigator and field teams from each of the participating countries.
*ProSPeRo = Project on Sexually Transmitted Infection Point-of-Care Testing led by Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research Department of WHO