Mini-Lab

Mini-Lab

Diagnostic tool
A Transportable Laboratory adapted for MSF field interventions.
Quick access
The project

In brief

[Funding Completed / 2016-2019]

The purpose of the Mini-Lab project is to design and produce a small-scale, autonomous, transportable clinical bacteriology laboratory which is affordable and above all suited to the MSF’s fields of intervention. This concept, developed by MSF with its partners, is also intended to be made available to health care operators in countries with limited resources.

The Mini-Lab project hosted by MSF has been able to benefit from other funding mechanisms and the Foundation has been able to redirect its funding to other emerging initiatives. 

Status of the project

  • Problem analysis
  • Development
  • Evaluation
  • Deployment

The Identified Gap

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is finally acknowledged as a major public health threat, currently causing 1.27 million deaths in 2019 and 10 million deaths by 2050 if nothing is done. Low- and Middle-income countries are known to be hit the hardest. The limited access to adequate clinical bacteriology laboratory contributes to increasing antibiotic resistance and complicates the management of infections such as sepsis. In the 70 countries where MSF operates, patients are coming to hospitals with bacterial infections, not responding to antibiotic treatments.

To tackle this problem, MSF developed a multidisciplinary AMR strategy built around 3 pillars:

  • The improvement of infection prevention control to reduce MDR transmissions and limit nosocomial infections.
  • The promotion of rational use of antibiotics.
  • An increased access to bacteriology diagnostic laboratories, especially for pediatric and trauma infections (burns, osteomyelitis).

Mini-Lab is part of the third pillar of action.  

The MSF Foundation’s Response

The MSF Foundation contributed to funding Mini-Lab during the first years of the project. It aims to facilitate access to microbiology laboratories where there is no conventional laboratory accessible, in areas where MSF is deployed. In doing so, it provides higher quality diagnostics, leading to improved patient care in sepsis.  

Video

Mini-Lab : le laboratoire adapté aux terrains d'intervention de MSF

News

In detail

The Mini-Lab makes it possible for bacteriological tests, essential to the diagnosis of certain infections, to be carried out in field conditions. It will help reduce the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance by adapting the prescription of antibiotics to the encountered resistances and will thus improve care for patients.

The Mini-Lab will also be be used to support clinical monitoring of antibiotic resistance. It will gather data to improve empirical treatment guidelines and assist in field studies on performance diagnosis, infections and prevention strategies. The target population is hospitalized patients: seriously ill children co-infected with malaria, burns patients with suspected septicaemia, patients with HIV and suffering from fever, etc.

The Mini-Lab combines simplified logistics with robust techniques. It meets the clinical needs of countries with moderate or low resources (LMICs) in which conventional clinical bacteriology is difficult to set up. These techniques are accessible to trained but non-specialist users.

 

How does it work ? 

MiniLabComplet

What were the main stages of the project ?

EnTimelineMinilab
Who's involved?

Our partners

  • Institut of Tropical Medecine Logo
  • Hôpital Bicêtre, Paris
  • LHUB-ULB, Belgique
  • Epicentre Logo
  • Biologie Sans Frontières
  • Whonet Logo
  • Access Campaign
  • Oxford Group (OUCRU)
  • ID Roto Solution
  • MSF Logistique
  • Global Good
  • Biomed Diagnostics
  • Microbiologics
  • Beckman Coulter
  • Tuttnauer
  • JP Selecta
  • Autobio
  • ITL
  • LogoLabConceptionMiniLab
  • Margo
  • Motic
  • Conex

The team

  • Céline Franquesa
    Céline Franquesa
    Project Manager
  • Alessandra Natale
    Alessandra Natale
    Research Coordinator
  • Thomas Vidal
    Thomas Vidal
    Mini-Lab Field Coordinator
  • Baptiste Le Corre
    Baptiste Le Corre
    Systems and equipment design coordinator
  • Jean-Baptiste Ronat
    Jean-Baptiste Ronat
    Scientific and Technical Manager
  • Bernard Baillet
    Bernard Baillet
    Microbiologist in charge of developing quality procedures and documents
  • Audrey Pâquet
    Audrey Pâquet
    Project Assistant MSF
Discover

our other projects

  • ImageUneAntibiogoGde

    Antibiogo

    Antibiogo is a diagnostic aid medical device that aims to help doctors prescribe the most effective antibiotics to their patients. It is available as a free, open source and offline Android application. It allows non-expert laboratory technicians to measure and interpret antibiograms. It provides accurate results that can also be used for monitoring purposes and updating empirical treatments based on actual etiology.

  • UneAIforCC

    AI4CC

    The MSF Foundation and its partners will conduct -upon ethical board validation of MSF and Malawian authorities- this clinical study in Malawi as part of MSF's program for care of women with cervical cancer at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the screening program in Blantyre health centers. 

  • ImageUne3D

    3D Programm

    The use of 3D technology makes it possible for the best experts to remotely design upper limb prostheses and compression orthoses using digital impressions of face and neck burns of patients treated by MSF in Jordan, Haiti, and Gaza.

  • UneAlerteEpidemie

    Alert-Epidemic

    Alert-Epidemics is an alert processing and notification system to detect and respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases in precarious situations, including measles, meningitis, cholera and Covid19.

  • UneDiatropix

    RDTs : Measles and meningitis

    DiaTROPIX is a new platform for the development and production of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) at the Institut Pasteur in Dakar. This non-profit initiative aims to produce new rapid diagnostic tests that can be made available in countries where access to laboratory diagnosis is low or non-existent. 
    The MSF Foundation is financing and supporting the development by DiaTROPIX of two new RDTs for measles and meningitis. These two diseases with high epidemic potential represent a real public health problem in countries in which MSF conducts medical programmes, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

  • SmsAfyayetu

    SMS AFYA-YETU

    A program designed to enable people living with a chronic disease, particularly those with medical or social vulnerabilities, to quickly identify and report problems that could lead to a lack of follow-up in their treatment or a deterioration of their state of health. 

  • UneEN_Reeduc

    Developing rehabiliation care

    Physiotherapy has been part of MSF activities for years, mostly regarding trauma and burns. The MSF Foundation launched in 2017 the 3D printing project and advance practice in rehabilitation for burn faces and upper limb prosthetics. In coordination with ops and medical team in MSF, the MSF Foundation will develop new activities and  support initiatives from the field to better integrate physiotherapy in our offer of care, especially regarding pediatrics, women health and burn rehabilitation.