Francis Drobniewski

He is Professor of Global Health and Tuberculosis at Imperial College, London (ICL), a physician and microbiologist (accredited in Microbiology, Virology and Immunology). He has 25 years’ experience as PI/Co-I for complex respiratory disease research programmes focusing on TB/HIV and antimicrobial drug resistance, integrating clinical, biological and social themes. He has held Board leadership roles in academia and the NHS.

He is: Fellow of ESCMID (2017- ); Member ICL Antimicrobial Research Collaborative; NIHR Health Protection Research Unit Respiratory Infections, ICL (2014-2017); Founder member ECDC TB Reference Lab Network (2009-onwards); Global CrypTIC TB DST Consortium; Director UK National Mycobacterium (TB) Reference Laboratory (1996-2015) Consultant Microbiologist (p/t) University Hospitals Dorset 2017- current; Member of British Thoracic Society MDRTB National Advisory Panel; NICE Clinical TB Adviser; Member MRC DPFS Grants Panel (2021- ); Member NICE-TAC (determines NHS drug etc purchasing/provision). UK NHS COVID Clinical Reference Group and diagnostics (2020-21).

Research expertise in diagnostics, AMR, disease risk factor and survival analysis, covid vaccine: TB/HIV LMIC programme development and implementation (EU FP6, FP7 and H2020, DFID and WHO); ECDC TB Network (see above) focuses on diagnostics and analysis of drug resistance; training programmes (including Ukraine) for WHO, British Council; published over 280 peer-reviewed papers in these areas. Current Chief Investigator VAROT Study looking at post aminoglycoside hearing analysis and Horizon Europe EuCARE Covid 19 UK (UK arm of a multicenter Covid 19 consortium considering all aspects of Covid infection from diagnosis and genomics to survival by variant, immunology vaccine hesitancy, and UK NHS COVID Clinical Reference Group and diagnostics. WHO: diagnosis and treatment of drug resistant bacterial infections (AMR), and management of MDRTB and HIV-TB. Until recently involved in WHO Europe groups (former WHO Consultant)

Leadership and Management: Non-Executive Board Director Kent Community Hospital Trust (2018-2022); Chair WHO European Laboratory Initiative on TB, HIV and viral hepatitis, until 2022) including supporting COVID19 strategy; Member Divisional Management Boards HPA/PHE, QMUL, ICL. Director/Co Lead DFID and EU Framework Programmes 1990-current); Director Health Sciences Research Ltd (2006-current).

Selected Publications

Journal Articles

• Drobniewski F, Kusuma D, Broda A, et al., 2022, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in diverse groups in the UK — is the driver economic or cultural in student populations, Vaccines, Vol:10, ISSN:2076-393X, Pages:501-501
• Drobniewski F, Keshavjee S, 2021, COVID-19 and Tuberculosis-A global tale of hubris and lessons unlearned?, Frontiers in Medicine, Vol:8, Pages:1-4
• Larrouy-Maumus G, Broda A, Drobniewski F, et al., 2021, An improved method for rapid detection of Mycobacterium abscessus complex based on species-specific lipids fingerprint by routine MALDI-TOF, Frontiers in Chemistry, Vol:9, ISSN:2296-2646, Pages:1-7
• Maurer FP, Shubladze N, Kalmambetova G, et al., 2021, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis national reference laboratory services in the WHO European Region, March to November 2020., Eurosurveillance, Vol:26, ISSN:1025-496X, Pages:1-6
• Gonzalo X, Broda A, Drobniewski F, et al., 2021, Performance of lipid fingerprint-based MALDI-ToF for the diagnosis of mycobacterial infections, Clinical Microbiology and Infection, Vol:27, ISSN:1198-743X, Pages:912.e1-912.e5
• Benet S, Galvez C, Drobniewski F, et al., 2021, Dissemination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is associated to a SIGLEC1 null variant that limits antigen exchange via trafficking extracellular vesicles, Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, Vol:10, ISSN:2001-3078, Pages:1-17
• Surkova E, Nikolayevskyy V, Drobniewski F, 2020, False-positive COVID-19 results: hidden problems and costs, Lancet Respiratory Medicine, Vol:8, ISSN:2213-2600, Pages:1167-1168
• Nikolayevskyy V, Balabanova Y, Kontsevaya I, et al., 2020, Biomarkers of treatment success in fully sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis patients: a multicenter longitudinal study, Biomarkers in Medicine, Vol:14, ISSN:1752-0363, Pages:1439-1452
• Gonzalo X, Satta G, Ortiz Canseco J, et al., 2020, Ertapenem and faropenem against mycobacterium tuberculosis: in vitro testing and comparison by macro and microdilution., BMC Microbiology, Vol:20, ISSN:1471-2180, Pages:1-7
• Dara M, Ehsani S, Mozalevskis A, et al., 2020, Tuberculosis, HIV, and viral hepatitis diagnostics in eastern Europe and central Asia: high time for integrated and people-centred services, Lancet Infectious Diseases, Vol:20, ISSN:1473-3099, Pages:e47-e53
• Lalor MK, Casali N, Walker TM, et al., 2018, The use of whole-genome sequencing in cluster investigation of an MDR-TB outbreak, European Respiratory Journal, Vol:51, ISSN:0903-1936
• Balabanova Y, Fiebig L, Ignatyeva O, et al., 2017, Multidrug-resistant TB in Eastern region of the EU: is the shorter regimen an exception or a rule?, Thorax, Vol:72, ISSN:1468-3296, Pages:850-852