Better treatments for brain infections in people with HIV
Official title: Improving outcomes in HIV-associated opportunistic infections using CNS pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
Funded at University of Minnesota · NIH-11386303 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Using information about how antifungal and TB drugs reach the brain to help people with HIV who have cryptococcal or TB meningitis get better treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Minnesota NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project start | August 18, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $190,085 |
| NIH project number | 3R01NS139908-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11386303 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with HIV who have or recently had cryptococcal meningitis or TB meningitis and who are receiving care at participating hospitals (or who can provide consented post-mortem tissue through partner sites) are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People with HIV who do not have CNS infections or those with unrelated infections are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
You would be part of work that measures drug levels in spinal fluid and links those levels to how quickly the infection clears and how patients do. The team will use pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic models to find drug exposure targets (like AUC/MIC) that predict fungal or TB clearance from the CNS. They will also look at links between drug levels, inflammation, drug resistance, thinking or memory outcomes, and survival. Finally, they will study drug distribution in actual brain tissue using post-mortem samples to improve dosing recommendations.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lead to dosing changes or drug choices that reduce deaths and brain injury from cryptococcal and TB meningitis in people with HIV.
How similar studies have gone: Some prior work has linked spinal fluid drug levels to outcomes, but combining detailed PK/PD modeling with post-mortem brain tissue analysis for cryptococcal and TB meningitis is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nicol, Melanie Rae — University of Minnesota
- Study coordinator: Nicol, Melanie Rae
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.