SeqNET+ Consortium Strengthens Collaboration on Drug-resistant Tuberculosis

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) remains a major and dangerous public health threat worldwide. Against this background, partners from four countries with a high burden of drug-resistant tuberculosis—Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, and Moldova—met with international partners at the first Annual Consortium Meeting of the SeqNET+ project. The meeting took place on 5–6 October 2026 at the Manor House of the Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center (RCB).

The SeqNET+ coordination team brought together representatives from key institutions, including the National Institute of Health of Mozambique, national TB programmes, the University of Namibia, the Baylor College of Medicine Eswatini, the Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Ospedale San Raffaele in Milan, the German Central Committee against Tuberculosis in Berlin, the “Chiril Draganiuc” Institute of Pneumology, Chisinau (Republic of Moldau), the World Health Organization, and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. The event provided an important opportunity to reflect on achievements across the partner countries, exchange experiences, and jointly define priorities for the remaining two years of SeqNET+.

SeqNET+ builds on strong partnerships that have been established and continuously strengthened since 2018 through the Global Health Protection Programme (GHPP). The GHPP promotes collaboration, mutual learning, and sustainable approaches to strengthening global health. SeqNET+ builds on this foundation by advancing the use of modern sequencing technologies for the diagnosis and surveillance of TB and other respiratory pathogens. In addition, it strengthens local expertise and laboratory capacity.

Over the two-day meeting, participants discussed scientific progress, implementation experiences, clinical translation, and strategies for long-term sustainability. Eighteen presentations were delivered across four sessions. They covered shared experiences and progress in implementing next-generation sequencing (NGS), a review of project achievements, strategic planning for the next phase, and the clinical application and sustainability of targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS).

Participants also visited the state-of-the-art sequencing and mycobacterial culture laboratories at the National Reference Centre – also located at RCB. These visits provided an opportunity to exchange experiences on laboratory infrastructure and workflows.

A dedicated World Café session encouraged participants to discuss the project’s main challenges in four key areas: laboratory work, bioinformatics, clinical translation, and sustainability. The discussions highlighted the importance of continued cross-country exchange. They led to the decision to establish a cross-country working group to address common challenges and facilitate joint solutions and grant applications.

The meeting also highlighted the rapid development of sequencing capacity across the partner countries. A keynote presentation on Mozambique demonstrated how the country’s sequencing capacity has evolved through a long-standing partnership that began before the formal launch of the first NGS implementation project in 2018. Similar progress has been achieved in the other partner countries, highlighting the value of sustained international collaboration and local ownership.