Tuberculosis is a leading cause of infectious disease death worldwide, particularly in some of the countries where U.S. troops often deploy. Commonly known as TB, it can be difficult to detect among service members returning from high-risk locations.

Current TB tests have their limitations. Some tests take days or weeks to get results, some have poor sensitivity, and still others are expensive and require a sophisticated lab facility.

That prompted the Air Force to seek a practical and reliable alternative.

With the backing of an Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract, Michigan-based nanoRETE Inc. worked to develop an improved diagnostic platform for TB testing. The company’s concept follows the same principle as the latest commercial methods—a hypersensitivity based on prior exposure—but is designed to employ multiple biomarkers to determine a person’s infection status.