Redefining Disease Surveillance: DARO’s ASF Work in Kinshasa

Earlier this year, the DARO team traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo to test our whole-herd surveillance system where the pressure is real. In Kinshasa, African Swine Fever isn’t a hypothetical risk. It’s a daily reality.

If diagnostic and surveillance tools are going to truly protect the global food supply, they have to work in the real world. That means real barns, naturally infected animals, and active pathogen shedding.

This successful proof-of-concept was a multi-continent, team effort where workflows were developed in Nebraska, kits prepared in London, and flawless execution was led by brilliant in-country experts.

A massive thank you to our incredible partners who made this possible:

Catherine Pratt & the BioSurv International team

Prof. Placide Mbala & INRB Dr. Augustin Twabela, DVM & the Kinshasa Central Veterinary Laboratory and Field Vet team.

After months of building protocols, shipping logistics, and training local field vets, we spent five days on the ground in Kinshasa running lab work together. It was a week of real-time problem-solving, shared learning, and true collaboration. We are deeply grateful to our partners for their trust and leadership.

DARO is building a new category: scalable, real-world, herd-level surveillance that complements existing systems across geographies. Because food security is global, and disease doesn’t respect borders.

Our formal proof-of-concept paper will be available shortly. Stay tuned for the results!