Ing. Elisa Tjon Kon Fat
Research:
After I graduated I started as a technician in the group of Paul Corstjens, with a focus on infectious diseases caused by mycobacteria. My current work involves the development of a multi-biomarker test (MBT) strip to distinguish active tuberculosis within patients reporting to the hospital with respiratory diseases. Like leprosy, tuberculosis is a mycobacterial infection and diagnosis remains a challenge in remote and resource-limited settings. The low-complexity MBT test platform that we have developed is for use with fingerstick blood and designed to allow near-patient/point-of-care use. The applied LF test platform utilizes the high sensitivity luminescent upconverting reporter particle (UCP) technology and is fully quantitative, which is necessary to establish an accurate test result. Our TB research is done in close collaboration with the LUMC research group of prof. dr. Annemieke Geluk (dept. Infectious Diseases) and international Africa-Europe consortia. The developed tests are applied in the field in registered clinical trial studies in various countries in Africa. In my work, when clinical trials are ongoing, I’m also responsible for the daily communication and monitoring with the participating African test sites.
Curriculum Vitae:
I’ve completed my Bachelor Degree in Microbiology in 2011 at the Hogeschool Utrecht, faculty Life Sciences and Chemistry. The study included a 6-month traineeship at the RIVM in Bilthoven (dr. Hein Sprong) where I focused on the transmission Lyme disease (validating a new Borrelia multiplex Q-PCR) and Q fever. After a second internship at Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis in Amsterdam (dept. Medical Microbiology), I continued working there as a lab technician gaining knowledge in diagnostic research on bacteriology, serology and parasitology, until I joined the Near Patient Diagnostics research group (dr. ir. Paul Corstjens) at LUMC.
