We are pleased to announce the successful conclusion of the NYC TRAC Annual Symposium on September 27th, 2023, which was held at the Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. The meeting provided a platform for experts and researchers to discuss groundbreaking advancements and findings related to tuberculosis research. Here's the recap of the symposium.
In the morning, Drs. Daniel Fitzgerald and Kyu Rhee started the day with an enlightening introduction of today's challenges in TB research and NYC TRAC's mission to contribute to those problems.
In addition to the research updates from our six awardees of Development Award, there were two guest speakers. The first guest speaker was Dr. Nancy Dorvil, MD from GHESKIO, Haiti. Dr. Dorvil took the stage to discuss the outcomes of a randomized trial of the same-day initiation of antiretroviral therapy for individuals with HIV showing symptoms of tuberculosis in Haiti.
As the second guest speaker, Dr. Max O’Donnell of Columbia University shared his knowledge on the emerging resistance to Bedaquiline, shedding light on the challenges and potential solutions based on his research studies from South Africa. The presentation complemented other presetnations, especially the updates by Dr. Katey Walsh, one of the first recipiets of of a Development Award. Dr. Walsh presented her findings on the pharmacokinetics of bedaquiline in sputum and plasma in a cohort of adults with MDR/RR-TB. She is also assessing for emerging genotypic bedaquiline resistance over the course of therapy.
The symposium wrapped up with closing remarks, leading to a special breakout lunch session with NIAID Program Officers, Dr. Susana Mendez, and Dr. Karen Lacourciere for New Investigators.
