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NCT Number: NCT06716450

Multiplo Tp/HIV Self-Test

To help reach the undiagnosed living with HIV and/or syphilis in Canada, self-tests for HIV and Syphilis may have substantial utility for increased identification of infected individuals through their relative ease of use and portability, as well as their ability to deliver rapid, actionable results while the care provider still has access to the patient. MedMira Laboratories Inc. (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) has developed a point-of-care (POC) test to detect HIV and Syphilis antibodies in fingerstick blood samples that is under final review by Health Canada for use by trained Healthcare professionals. A self-test version of this test, with simplified instructions for use has been developed for investigational studies. The goal of the following study sponsored by REACH Nexus is to provide evidence that untrained lay persons / intended users can perform the Multiplo Tp/HIV Self-Test without any increased risk of obtaining erroneous results.

Recruiting

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Cool Aid Community Health Centre, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

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About this study

This is a cross-sectional study that employs both observational and interview-based methods. All participants will read the instructions for use (IFU) and conduct the Multiplo TP/HIV Self-Test. They will not be provided any training prior to use. A trained Observer will observe and document the use of the test and independently read the lay user self-test result. 400 participants will also be provided with ten (10) mock devices with different results and asked to interpret those results (i.e. strong positive, weak positive, negative, invalid with no control line and no test dots, and invalid with no control line and positive test dots). The participants will then complete a questionnaire to share their opinions on usability and label comprehension of this test.

All participants will also have a venous blood sample collected for testing of serum at a central laboratory with a 4th generation HIV EIA and standard syphilis serology that will serve as the Comparator Methods (CM). All self-tests will be confirmed using laboratory-standard HIV and syphilis testing algorithms. The sensitivity and specificity of the self-test results will be calculated relative to the "clinical truth" of the participants' HIV and syphilis status determined by the comparator methods.

All enrolled Participants will voluntarily provide medical history and the specimens according to Section 4, Study Procedures at Visit 1 (Day 1), for the testing with the Multiplo TP/HIV Self-Test. Persons with reactive syphilis self-tests may be counselled for immediate treatment.

All Participants will have a laboratory test done for performance comparison and will be instructed to return to the clinic for a follow-up visit (Visit 2), two (2) weeks later to obtain their laboratory test results. Participants may also have a separate Point-of-Care (POC) test for HIV and/or syphilis conducted on-site as part of the clinic's standard of care testing, outside of the protocol.

  • Subject recruitment
  • Registration and confirmation of eligibility (enrolment questionnaire)
  • Administering informed consent
  • Review of inclusion/exclusion criteria and enrollment
  • Venous blood specimen collection for laboratory testing
  • Participant brought to a private room with site observer
  • Observer instructs participant on study process (not testing procedure)
  • Participant given one Multiplo Tp/HIV Self-Test package
  • Participant performs the self-test and interprets the results
  • Observer then interprets the participant's self test results
  • Observer interviews participant with self-test questionnaire
  • Participant given the option of participating in the Mock Result Interpretation exercise
  • Participant returns to the site for the laboratory results in approximately 2 weeks

MOCK RESULTS INTERPRETATION A minimum of 400 participants across all study sites will complete device interpretation of contrived (mock) results from prepared devices. Devices will include contrived reactive, weakly reactive, negative, and 2 types of invalid results with their reactivity blinded to the participant.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Are ≥18 years of age.
  • Can speak/read/write English or French.
  • Have presented for voluntary testing for HIV and/or syphilis infection in the clinic or community-based setting.
  • Are willing to participate in the study site's standard of care HIV and syphilis counselling and testing program and receive the study site's standard of care test results.
  • Are willing to be a participant in the study.
  • Can provide informed consent i.e. understand and sign or instruct the Observer to sign the informed consent form.
  • Can complete the required testing on the allocated testing day.
  • Are willing to provide the necessary fingerstick and venipuncture blood for use in the study protocol testing methods.
  • Are of unknown HIV and syphilis status (last HIV and syphilis negative test must be a minimum of 3 months prior).

Exclusion criteria

  • Do not meet the inclusion criteria.
  • Are known HIV and/or syphilis positive.
  • Have ever tested positive for syphilis or HIV at any time.
  • Have any experience in conducting rapid point-of-care tests on patients for HIV, syphilis or any other infectious disease.
  • Are familiar with the Multiplo® TP/HIV Self-Test.
  • Are investigator site employees or immediate family members of sponsor or investigator sites.
  • Have participated in any prior, or concurrent trial of HIV and syphilis self-tests.
  • Are a practicing medical healthcare professional (doctor, nurse or HIV counsellor that performs HIV testing with Rapid Tests).
  • Any condition which, in the opinion of the Observer, would make the participant unsuitable or unsafe for enrolment or could interfere with the completion of the assessment, consent form and questionnaire etc. or bias the outcome (e.g. being unable to see/read by forgetting to bring reading glasses, being intoxicated, acute sickness, visibly distressed).

Treatment and study plan

Multiplo TP/HIV Antibody Test

Device

The Multiplo TP/HIV Antibody Test (MedMira Laboratories Inc., Halifax, NS), ["Multiplo TP/HIV Test"] is a single use, rapid, vertical-flow in vitro qualitative immunoassay for the detection of antibodies to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Type 1/Type 2 and Treponema pallidum (Syphilis) in human fingerstick blood. The Multiplo® TP/HIV Test is intended as an aid in the diagnosis of HIV1/2 and Syphilis infections in patients with signs and symptoms of HIV and syphilis. The test is intended for use by trained personnel in medical facilities, clinical laboratories, emergency care situations, and physicians' offices as an in vitro diagnostic device capable of providing results in less than five minutes. The Multiplo TP/HIV Test has not yet sought approval for self-testing. All required pre and post-test counselling guidelines must be followed in each setting in which the Multiplo TP/HIV Test is used. Results are read visually.

Primary outcomes

  1. Percent positive and negative agreement of the Multiplo® TP/HIV Self-Test to the Participant's HIV and/or syphilis status confirmed by the lab results.

    Time frame: 6 months

    The primary outcome for the study will be the percent positive and negative agreement of the Multiplo® TP/HIV Self-Test to the Participant's HIV and/or syphilis status confirmed by the lab results.

    The percentages for positive and negative agreement will be calculated with the two-sided 95% confidence intervals for both as follows:

    • Positive Agreement= ((n) HIV or syphilis Multiplo reactive results )/((n) HIV or syphilis positive status)×100
    • Negative Agreement= ((n)HIV or syphilis Multiplo non reactive results )/((n) HIV or syphilis negative status)×100 Percent positive and negative agreement will be calculated for each analyte (HIV or syphilis) separately.
  2. Descriptive analysis of sociodemographic characteristics of people experiencing homelessness who are accessing HIV and Syphilis testing

    Time frame: 6 months

    The embedded study aims to understand the sociodemographic and health profile of PEH accessing WHIWH. Descriptive analysis of sociodemographic variables, risk behaviours, HIV/syphilis testing variables will be completed.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Percent of correctly interpreted mock devices by self-test participants.

    Time frame: 6 months

    Participants will answer a series of questions after they complete the Multiplo® TP/HIV Self-Test assessment and Interpretation of Results - Mock Devices. Participants will be given a panel of contrived devices and asked to interpret the results of the contrived devices. Participant answers will be compared to known results from the assigned panels.

  2. Rates of Positive HIV and Syphilis and rates of first time testers among people experiencing homelessness

    Time frame: 6 months

    Number of PEH who have tested positive for HIV and/or syphilis in the laboratory test. Number of PEH tested for HIV and/or syphilis for the first time through the project. Number of PEH who have been tested for HIV and/or syphilis before the intervention and which type of service.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Megan Cedrone, BSc, MSc

CONTACT

[email protected]

647-786-8711

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Unity Health Toronto

Other

Collaborators

  • University of Toronto

Registry information

Official study title

A Study to Evaluate the Accuracy, Usability and Readability of the Multiplo® TP/HIV Antibody Self-Test Performed by Observed Intended Users in Canada and the Impact of Peer-led HIV and Syphilis Care Among People Experiencing Homelessness in Toronto

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Dec 4, 2024
Registry last updated
Jan 27, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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