It's interesting to compare and contrast John Aitken's talks from 2017 and 2018. If there is to be a regular series of conferences related to MAP, - I hope there is and the next one is in Europe - it is important conference guests focus on talking about what they have learnt since the previous talk/event and there is continuity from one talk to the next. I didn't feel John achieved this, instead he wandered off into a very interesting talk about the history of TB and how this has dominated the thinking, and caused many of the failures, with NTM cultures.
I want to see his test published and validated. John even said in his own talk that this was essential, but thus far, we are still waiting - despite a few promises to do so on Facebook. Personally, I would not be comfortable encouraging people to send blood "to New Zealand" until this step is completed. One of the biggest dangers with MAP research is shooting yourself in the foot by damaging its credibility with flimsy or flawed science. Using an unvalidated test, which has limited scientific credibility, to drive treatment choice is in my view a serious risk.