University College London: Advanced Imaging Tools Could Help Detect TB Much Earlier

31 March 2026

University College London news release

Researchers revealed that advanced imaging technologies can detect evidence of asymptomatic TB in the lungs long before symptoms develop or routine tests return positive results. The study, published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, is the largest to date to follow high‑risk individuals using highly sensitive imaging over a five‑year period.

The research team followed 250 HIV‑negative, asymptomatic adults in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa, all of whom were household contacts of drug‑resistant TB cases. Each participant underwent a PET‑CT scan and a digital chest X‑ray interpreted by artificial intelligence (AI) tools, and was monitored for up to five years.

Read the full news release here.

Source: University College London