Help Us Bring an Affordable TB Test to the World

— Because 1 in 4 People Carry the Infection Without Knowing It.

The Issue: A Silent but Deadly Disease

Right now, 1 in 4 people around the world carry the bacteria that causes tuberculosis (TB)…most don’t even know it!

This silent form of TB - called latent TB - can quietly remain in the body for years and while not contagious at this stage, it can suddenly activate and become deadly. Each year, TB claims 1.25 million lives, making it the world’s deadliest curable infectious disease - more than HIV or malaria.

Who This Affects

The real danger lies in the unpredictability. Silent TB can activate at any time, especially in people with weakened immune systems or those facing malnutrition.

The vast majority of people living with silent TB - especially in low-income countries - remain undiagnosed and untreated. They don’t even know they are at risk.

As antibiotic resistance rises and healthcare systems stretch thin, this global health challenge becomes harder to control.

Our Solution: Catching TB Before It Strikes

We believe the best time to fight TB is before it becomes active. That’s why we’re developing a low-cost, paper-based diagnostic test that can detect silent TB. It’s small, portable, and requires no lab equipment or electricity!

For patients and doctors, early detection means being prepared before symptoms appear or the disease spreads.

For scientists and public health experts, it allows us to improve and tailor existing treatments, making them more effective and equitable.

For the world, it means better outcomes, less transmission, and lives saved.

Who We Are

We’re the iGEM team from King’s College London, a group of 17 undergraduate students passionate about using science to solve real-world problems.

As part of the iGEM international synthetic biology competition, we’re working alongside 300+ teams from around the globe. Together, we’re designing innovative biotech tools with the potential to transform health, environment, and society.

Our project focuses on reimagining how TB is diagnosed - starting with the people and places that need it most.

How We’ll Make a Difference

Our paper- based test aims to:

-Detect TB risk early - during the silent stage, before it turns infectious,

-Reduce barriers to diagnosis in rural and under-resourced communities,

-Support existing treatment plans by identifying at-risk individuals earlier,

-Empower public health systems with a scalable, accessible tool.

We’re designing this tool to be open-source and globally shareable, with the hope that it can one day be distributed where it's needed most.

Why We Need Your Help

We’ve spent months developing this test - all voluntarily and unpaid. But to share it with the world and push it closer to real-world use, we need your support.

We’re asking for help to fund:

-Presenting our project at the iGEM conference, where we’ll connect with global health experts, researchers, and collaborators,

-Prototyping and testing our diagnostic system,

-Outreach and education efforts to raise awareness about TB.

Every Pound Counts.

Whether it’s £1 or £100, your donation helps transform a student-led idea into a tool that could save lives.

If you’re not able to contribute financially, you can still help us by sharing our project with your network.

We’re doing this for free - so that others don’t have to pay with their health.

Please consider joining us on this journey in whichever way you can.

Thank you from all of us on the KCL iGEM Team!

https://igem.org