The Foundation for Neglected Disease Research (FNDR) in Bangalore and the India Gateway will host a one-day signature conference to confront the challenges of tuberculosis (TB) and HIV. The “International Conference on Recent Advancements on TB and HIV Research” will bring together faculty, clinicians, regulators, entrepreneurs and practitioners to share scientific information in Bangalore, India, site of premiere research facilities, academic institutions and hospitals, on January 11, 2023
According to World Health Organization, an estimated 9.9 million people fell ill with TB and 1.5 million people died globally in 2020, despite being a preventable and curable disease. About one-quarter of the world’s population is estimated to be infected by TB bacteria but out of these only 5-15% of people will fall ill with active TB disease.
More than 2.4 million TB cases were identified in India in 2019, the largest share of the global TB burden. India’s National TB Elimination Programme (earlier known as Revised National TB Control Programme) has a goal of ending the TB epidemic in India by 2025, five years ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for 2030. The National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Elimination 2017-2025 was developed to achieve the goal.
Conference topics include:
- Challenges in TB Control
- Best Practices in TB Management and Cure
- Heterogeneity in TB across the country
- Research on TB and HIV in pregnancy
- Research on TB-HIV Co-infection
- New vaccination Data & Trends
- New drugs and diagnostics for TB
Shu Hua Wang, associate professor, Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, is Ohio State’s scientific lead for the conference. Wang serves as Director of Research and Implementation Science for the Global One Health initiative and also as Medical Director, Ben Franklin TB Program, Columbus Public Health. Representing the partner institution is alumnus Shridhar Narayanan (PhD '96), founder and CEO of FNDR.
Given the disruption caused by TB and HIV in India, the goal of the conference is to share scientific information and cutting-edge research and also for researchers, clinical experts and practicing healthcare professionals to join forces with the South Asian community to combat these diseases.
Partners
The Foundation for Neglected Disease Research (FNDR) is a not-for-profit biotech R&D organization dedicated to discovering and developing novel therapeutics, diagnostics and devices for diseases with a high socio-economic impact. FNDR’s efforts are focused on tuberculosis, malaria and leishmania, which collectively affect more than 2.8 million people in India and are responsible for 450,000 deaths every year.
The Global One Health initiative (GOHi) at The Ohio State University is the university’s largest interdisciplinary example of institutional teamwork operating on a global scale. GOHi improves the health of communities, build’s capacity among public health professionals and provides learning opportunities for students, faculty and staff around the world. Founded in 2009 by a team of diverse faculty at Ohio State, GOHi actively helps those in need across the United States, Eastern Africa, Central and South America and Asia.
Ohio State’s Global Gateways facilitate the university's global reach in China, India and Brazil. Strategically connected with academia, government entities and affiliated agencies in India, Ohio State’s India Gateway provides operational support abroad, facilitates partnerships and builds global connections to advance scholarship, address global challenges and grow the university’s diverse student body and alumni network.