Under a new approach pioneered by British scientists from Imperial College London and Pfizer, patients who need drug treatment could be given individually tailored prescriptions based on the results of simple urine tests. New research has shown that chemical signatures predicting how a patient will respond to particular drugs can be detected in urine, paving the way for the development of tests to help doctors prescribe more safely and effectively.

A team of U.K. researchers at Imperial College London has developed a blood test that enables doctors to rule out tuberculosis (TB) infection in patients within a few days, rather than weeks. TB is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms include fever, fatigue and loss of appetite, which are associated with other conditions as well. The new blood test would prevent patients who do not have TB from being subjected to lengthy TB tests and patients with TB to undergo treatment earlier.