Our Projects

Our Center is involved in many projects to help fulfill our mission of bringing about accurate, acceptable, and easily implemented point-of-care tests in both resource-rich and resource-limited settings.

Emergency Department Clinical Pathways for Suspect Sexually Transmitted Infections

Project Lead: Richard Rothman, MD, PhD

The JHU Emergency Department will develop expedited clinical pathways for female and male patients who present with signs and symptoms which might indicate an STD, via a series of expert consensus meetings. Under each clinical pathway, a set of standard of care laboratory-based STD testing panels will be recommended. Potential point-of-care STD assays that could rapidly diagnose infections or replace laboratory-based testing will be proposed

COPHAS (Community Pharmacies for Assessing STI Using Point of Care Diagnostics)

Project Lead: Agnes Kiragga, PhD and Annet Onzia, MBChB.

This study is being conducted in community pharmacies in Kampala, Uganda. Women who visit pharmacies seeking emergency contraception as well as individuals seeking STI treatment are being enrolled in the study and tested for STIs and HIV.

Massive Open Online Course Development

Project Lead: Anne Rompalo, MD

Dr. Rompalo, with participation from many other Center personnel, developed a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) titled Point-of-Care Testing for Sexually Transmitted Infections. This course looks at point of care testing for sexually transmitted infections from the perspective of the clinician, the patient, and the regulatory environment.

Outpatient SARS-CoV-2 Mild and Asymptomatic Infection Response and Transmission (OutSMART)

Project Lead: Annie Antar MD, PhD

The OutSMART study seeks to characterize the viral kinetics and clinical course of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients in the ambulatory setting, describe transmission trends within their households, and characterize the immediate and durable adaptive immune responses to mild-moderate and asymptomatic infection over the course of two years after testing positive. The study employs a unique protocol, utilizing intensive sampling and survey collection during the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection (first month) and follow-up through two years to prospectively evaluate longitudinal clinical and biological outcomes of infection. This study closes the knowledge gap surrounding asymptomatic to moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection and will provide critical information regarding the progression of these infections to long COVID and/or recovery.

Ending the HIV Epidemic Through Point-of-Care Technologies (EHPOC)

Project Lead: Matthew Hamill, MBChB, PhD

The EHPOC study evaluates the performance of existing and novel technologies for HIV and syphilis diagnosis in high-risk populations and settings. This study aims to inform optimal testing strategies for populations that traditionally lack reliable access to care and enable a stronger link to preventative and treatment options with initiation of services within the same clinical visit. The study aims to determine whether rapid point-of-care diagnostics will enable faster and more effective linkage-to-care among those at high risk of HIV/syphilis transmission.