l  An Introduction of IATB

Innovation Alliance on Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment（IATB）is  a Beijing based not-for-profit non-gov civil organization. In 2016, it was established by several major tertiary level TB designated hospitals (founding members are Beijing Chest Hospital, Tianjin Haihe Hospital, Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital and Shannxi Provincial TB Hospital) with the initiative of Beijing Chest Hospital. Now IATB has grown to include 130 members including 85 TB hospitals and 45 industrial members. Founding mission of the IATB is in short known as RITA, which stands for Research, Innovation, Translation and Application of promising technologies and tools on the road to END TB in China and beyond.

.      l  Operation Scopes and Functions

Under the leadership of a board and a secretariat, IATB operates in the following domains, namely a clinical research consortium, education and training, laboratory quality assurance, remote and online medical services as well as international cooperation. Since its founding, IATB has been operating the China Tuberculosis Clinical Trials Consortium (CTCTC) which was founded in collaboration with the US National Institute of Health (NIH) in September 2013. The research network now covers 29 TB hospitals (all CFDA certified site compliant with GCP standards) and has conducted a number of important clinical researches on novel anti-TB drugs and regimens among Chinese patients. In terms of training and education, IATB organizes a series of important academic events in China, namely the annual China TB R&D Collaboration International Forum, the annual China Tuberculosis International Forum, a co-organizer to the annual National Tuberculosis Academic Forum and the annual Tuberculosis International Training Workshop under the Belt & Road initiative. IATB also conducts cross laboratory quality assurance works, including DST QA, among membership hospitals, and validation studies for innovative TB diagnostics developed by our industrial partners. Since 2017, IATB has been working on a number of online and remote medical platforms, some for clinical data harmonization, the others for remote clinical services for under-developed high-burden regions. IATB recognizes the importance of international cooperation in advancing technological R&D innovation in the field of TB prevention and control. The alliance also recognizes that China has much to offer to the END-TB course through its indigenous innovations and technologies. In this course, IATB has been a driving force for promoting and showcasing Chinese innovative TB solutions on the world stage.