On Wednesday, 3rd December, the Pathogen Economy Labs team held an alpha testing session for the TB-Screening tool, now officially branded as VentraScan, at Mildmay Research Centre, Mildmay Hospital in Lweza. This marked an important milestone in the product’s development, bringing together researchers, developers, and external testers for a hands-on review of the tool.
The session began with opening remarks from Allan Lule, who highlighted the purpose of the meeting. He explained that alpha testing is a crucial stage in the development cycle, allowing the team to evaluate the system’s performance before deployment. According to Allan, it is an essential step in ensuring the quality and reliability of the tool as it moves toward real-world use.
Participants included teams from Mildmay Research Centre and Hospital, the software development group, and several external testers with software engineering backgrounds. Their involvement provided a valuable mix of user perspectives and technical insight.
The main focus of the testing was to identify bugs, uncover any system defects, and evaluate the overall functionality of the tool. To guide the session, Peter Oketta, the software development team lead for tool, walked participants through the platform. He introduced it as an AI-powered chest-disease screening tool currently optimized for detecting tuberculosis, with plans to expand its capabilities to other diseases in the future.
Throughout the session, testers offered feedback on responsiveness, workflow, and the development progress of the tool. They also shared suggestions aimed at improving usability and ensuring that the solution meets the needs of its intended users.
By the end of the day, the team left with meaningful insights and renewed momentum. The feedback gathered at Mildmay will directly inform the next phase of development, strengthening the tool as it advances toward deployment and broader impact in TB screening and beyond
