Brain blood flow and clotting problems in children with tuberculous meningitis
Official title: Understanding ischemia in children with tuberculous meningitis (iThemba)
Funded at Stellenbosch University · NIH-11376814 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at why some children with tuberculous meningitis get brain infarcts by using scans and tests of blood and spinal fluid.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stellenbosch University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stellenbosch, SOUTH AFRICA) |
| Project start | August 1, 2022 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $204,288 |
| NIH project number | 3R01HD107063-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11376814 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children (up to about 11 years old) with probable or confirmed tuberculous meningitis who can undergo MRI, PET/CT and lumbar puncture are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Children without TB meningitis, those too unstable or medically unable to have imaging or lumbar puncture, or those who cannot travel to the study site would not be eligible or likely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
If my child had tuberculous meningitis, researchers would enroll about 80 children and collect blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples while performing MRI and FDG PET/CT scans at the start and repeat imaging and samples at two weeks, with another MRI at 24 weeks and a developmental check at 48 weeks. The team will run advanced lab tests (proteomics and transcriptomics) and use bioinformatics to link inflammation, clotting, and vessel changes to areas of brain infarction seen on imaging. They will compare children who develop infarcts with those who do not to identify biological and imaging patterns tied to worse outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could point to new ways to prevent or treat brain infarcts and reduce death and long-term disability from pediatric tuberculous meningitis.
How similar studies have gone: Imaging and CSF testing have informed TB meningitis care before, but combining PET/CT with multi-omic blood and CSF analyses in children is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch, South Africa Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Seddon, James Alexander — Stellenbosch University
- Study coordinator: Seddon, James Alexander
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Personalized Immunomodulatory Therapy for HIV-related Cryptococcal Meningitis
A patient-focused study investigates a personalized treatment approach to improve outcomes for people with HIV who develop cryptococcal meningitis.
-
Improving Diagnostics and Neurocognitive Outcomes in HIV/AIDS-related Meningitis
A study in Uganda aims to use faster, better tests and a new antifungal to help people with HIV who develop meningitis.
-
TB meningitis diagnostic test compare and cost study in sub-Saharan Africa
Researchers are testing a new CSF urine-based test (SILVAMP TB LAM) to improve diagnosis of TB meningitis in people with HIV, to help speed treatment and reduce death in Sub-Saharan Africa.
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Minimally Invasive Sampling to Improve HIV-Associated M meningitis Diagnosis in Africa
A research study is testing easier, less invasive ways to diagnose meningitis in people living with HIV, with a focus on making diagnosis faster and more accurate in Africa and the US.
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Understanding brain injury in kids with tuberculous meningitis (iThemba)
A study in children with TB meningitis in South Africa will look at how inflammation and blood-clotting factors relate to brain injury and infarcts.
-
Serological clues to survival in HIV-related cryptococcal meningitis
This grant looks for antibody signals in the blood that could predict who survives cryptococcal meningitis in people with HIV.
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.