The World Health Organization (WHO)’s Department for HIV, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis & Sexually Transmitted Infections (HTH) develops evidence-informed policy on tuberculosis (TB) prevention, diagnosis, and care. WHO’s work includes advancing diagnostic standards and ensuring that tools for the detection and management of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) are supported by robust scientific evidence.
The WHO Catalogue of mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and their association with drug resistance is a global reference for the interpretation of genomic sequencing and test result data. It is widely used by diagnostic manufacturers, researchers, and national TB programmes to guide the development of new TB molecular tests, evaluate the performance of developed tests, and interpret genomic sequencing results for DR-TB surveillance and clinical management.
WHO is now commissioning computational biology and technical TB drug resistance services to support bioinformatic and analytic updates to the mutations catalogue, contribute to systematic reviews of critical concentrations for TB drug resistance testing that could be used to advance global guidance on phenotypic and genotypic testing and result interpretation, coordinate validation of broth microdilution (BMD) methods for first- and second-line anti-TB medicines across internationally-accredited laboratories, and contribute to the development of WHO Academy online training course materials to strengthen global diagnostic capacity building for DR-TB testing. Many of the findings will be reviewed by the Technical Advisory Group on TB Diagnostics and Laboratory Strengthening to inform updated policy and normative guidance.
Specifically, WHO is seeking an expert group or institution to:
- Provide bioinformatic support for the integration, analysis, and validation of large-scale genomic and phenotypic datasets, including the generation of updated mutation–resistance association tables for the third edition of the mutation catalogue.
- Contribute technical input into the design and sustainability of future editions of the mutations catalogue, including computational approaches, bioinformatic workflows, data inclusion criteria, and mutation grading methodologies.
- Support systematic review and evidence synthesis related to para-aminosalicylic acid (PAS) critical concentrations.
- Support validation of BMD methods, ensuring high-quality data outputs for a consolidated report to guide WHO policy development.
- Contribute to the development of WHO Academy training modules by reviewing and providing technical input into content related to DR-TB diagnostics and advanced molecular approaches for the detection of DR-TB.
The service provider should be able to work independently while engaging closely with WHO HTH and external technical experts through meetings and consultations. For more details on the scope of work and requirements, please review the Terms of Reference.
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Demonstrated experience in TB bioinformatics, phenotypic drug susceptibility testing, genotypic and phenotypic test result interpretation, and global diagnostic evaluations of new TB tests.
- Evidence of peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, or policy-relevant outputs related to computational biology, TB drug resistance, and TB genomics.
- Direct experience with systematic reviews of TB drug resistance testing evidence, including the quality and scientific assessment of published datasets to inform global policy.
- Demonstrated experience with training or course content development or instruction, including over technical TB testing or microbiological subject matter.
- Proven ability to conduct quality assessments of complex scientific outputs and coordinate multi-partner technical laboratory and diagnostic evaluation processes.
- Strong capacity for scientific writing and technical documentation in English.
Proposals should include:
- Concise background information on the institution/group
- Objectives and proposed approach aligned with the Terms of Reference
- Description of methods and work plan
- List of deliverables and proposed timeline
- Short bios of key staff involved
- Detailed budget
Interested experts or groups of experts should submit their proposal to the Secretariat at solangonj@who.int. The deadline for receiving proposals is 29 August 2025 (11:59 PM CEST).