Thursday, July 3, 2025 7/3/2025

Host blood biomarkers for the diagnosis prognosis and treatment response of childhood TB

Award Number: R01AI143636
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/20/2019
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2025

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Host blood biomarkers for the diagnosis prognosis and treatment response of childhood TB - Project Summary Childhood tuberculosis (TB) has greater risk of morbidity and mortality than adult disease, yet diagnostic and prognostic tests discovered in adults are less accurate in children. There is a critical need for more sensitive diagnostic tests for childhood TB that do not need respiratory sample collection; for prognostic tests that are more specific in Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG)-vaccinated children; and for improved tools to monitor treatment. Two novel approaches, host blood RNA signatures and the T cell Antigen-Specific Activation assay, target complementary aspects of the immune response and offer promise as diagnostic, prognostic and treatment-response biomarkers of childhood TB. A prognostic RNA signature of TB risk that also shows excellent diagnostic sensitivity and specificity for active TB, and response to treatment that mirrors disease progression, has been discovered in adults. Validation by qRT-PCR has been achieved; parsimonious 11-gene and 6-gene versions have been developed with identical performance; and the signature shows promising diagnostic sensitivity and specificity when applied to published pediatric microarray data. A host blood biomarker that measures activation of M.tb-specific T cells also yields excellent diagnostic performance. We validated and translated this T cell biomarker to a simplified whole blood assay suitable for pediatric use on basic flow cytometers widely available to HIV screening programs. We will evaluate performance of these two biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of pediatric TB disease and explore response to treatment. We will enroll a cohort of children with household exposure to an adult TB patient; evaluate them for TB disease by standardized investigation algorithm using a rigorous case definition; and collect blood for biomarker assays at baseline. Children without prevalent TB disease will be referred for preventive therapy and thereafter followed for incident TB disease for up to 3 years. Children diagnosed with TB disease will have blood sampled during curative treatment. We will evaluate diagnostic performance of these host blood biomarkers compared with Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra and prognostic performance compared with interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA); discover whether innate immune genetic variants are associated with biomarker expression; and project public health impact and cost-effectiveness of biomarker-targeted screening strategies for pediatric TB. A host blood biomarker that displays a characteristic response through the spectrum of pathogenesis of pediatric TB, increasing from M.tuberculosis infection through progression to disease and resolving during treatment, would be a major advance towards better diagnostic, prognostic and treatment monitoring tools for childhood TB.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2025	2024	UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN	LOVERS WALK	CAPE TOWN				ZAF	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	5	5/12/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $806,919 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN	LOVERS WALK	CAPE TOWN				ZAF	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	5	2/14/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$728,180
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN	LOVERS WALK	CAPE TOWN				ZAF	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	001	5	4/24/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$78,739
														Subtotal = $806,919

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $794,603 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN	LOVERS WALK	CAPE TOWN				ZAF	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	4	2/14/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$794,603
														Subtotal = $794,603

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2022	2021	UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN	LOVERS WALK	RONDEBOSCH				ZAF	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	3	2/25/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $808,450 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN	LOVERS WALK	RONDEBOSCH				ZAF	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	3	2/3/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$808,450
														Subtotal = $808,450

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $903,535 )
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN	LOVERS WALK	RONDEBOSCH		007700		ZAF	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	001	2	9/14/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$116,304
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN	LOVERS WALK	RONDEBOSCH		007700		ZAF	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	2	2/26/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$787,231
														Subtotal = $903,535

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $653,408 )
2019	2019	UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN	LOVERS WALK	RONDEBOSCH		007700		ZAF	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	1	2/19/2019	NEW	$653,408
														Subtotal = $653,408

Grand Total All Awards = $3,966,915

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Host blood biomarkers for the diagnosis prognosis and treatment response of childhood TB

Award Number: R01AI143636

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/20/2019

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2025

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer