EU Research Projects

Being at the cutting edge of lateral flow technology is essential to Forsite so that we can transfer advances to our customers.  Our areas of current interest lie in quantitative assays and the vast opportunities of molecular LFDs (NALFIA).  Some of the projects we are involved in are listed below.

CLEANHIVE

The objectives of this project are to develop an efficient and cost-effective tool for the detection and identification of both Nosema species under field conditions to stop the spread of Nosema ceranae. This diagnostic tool will be designed to meet beekeeper's needs in terms of:

- Speed
- Specificity
- Sensitivity
- Accuracy
- Portability
- Ease of use
- Affordability

The beekeeping associations within this project are determined to develop this new tool and to disseminate its use at European level, as with it the productivity, profitability and competitiveness of the beekeeping sector will be improved and the continuity of the sector ensured.  

Cleanhive is funded unde the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme.  The project is co-ordinated by Centre de Recerca i Investigació de Catalunya in Spain.

MALACTRES

'Multi-drug resistance in malaria under combination therapy: Assessment of specific markers and development of innovative, rapid and simple diagnostics'

The project objectives include:

• To develop and evaluate in disease endemic countries accurate low-tech molecular diagnostic tests for malaria

• To identify alleles of candidate resistance genes associated with increased transmission success of P. falciparum after ACT treatment in completed clinical trials with endpoints at gametocyte or infected mosquito level.

• To conduct ACT treatment trials with transmission endpoints, and measure impact of resistance-associated alleles of key genes on:
- gametocyte prevalence, density and longevity
- infectiousness of gametocyte-positive treated individuals to mosquitoes
- infectiousness of randomly-selected treated individuals to mosquitoes

• To conduct ACT treatment trials with parasitological and clinical efficacy endpoints, including in vitro and in vivo resistant determination test, and measure abundance of parasites carrying candidate markers among participants with treatment failure

• To develop and implement new low-tech diagnostic tools that are able to demonstrate the presence of mutations conferring drug resistance in the Plasmodium population

The MALACTRES consortium is funded by the European Commission Seventh Framework Programme Health: Translational research in major infectious diseases: to confront major threats to public health. HEALTH-2007-2.3.2-3: Development of fast tests for the diagnosis of Multi-Drug- Resistant strains of HIV, malaria and tuberculosis and of latent tuberculosis infection.

The project is co-ordinated by the Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam.  For more information about the project, visit the website or email the co-ordinator.