WHAT IS MINI-LAB?
The problem: Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) as a threat around the World, in particular in low resource settings
The Mini-Lab: developed by Médecins Sans Frontières and partners
The Mini-Lab is a turnkey solution: an all-in-one, clinical bacteriology laboratory that is transportable, simplified, quality assured and suitable for low-resource environments. It provides clinical microbiology diagnostic at district level in remote areas.
It was developed through an innovative project by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), with the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and other partners, between 2016 and 2022. The Mini-Lab is now in routine mode in 5 MSF settings, with more than 10 000 blood samples analyzed in total since end of 2021.
AALFA intends to extend its impact beyond MSF projects. It will soon been used by external beneficiaries in Vietnam, Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo Brazzaville.
The Mini-Lab has been tested and validated in the field
The Mini-Lab components have been validated singularly in European laboratories to verify their performance and robustness in low resource settings. Afterwards, the Mini-Lab as a whole has been tested in 2 field studies in 2 respective MSF field missions, one in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and one in Carnot, Central African Republic.
The lab is currently used for bacterial identification and susceptibility testing of pathogens isolated from blood specimens, but urine and CSF (cerebro spinal fluid) will be soon available.