Building genomic expertise to combat cryptococcal meningitis
Official title: Genomic Research Capacity Building for Cryptococcal Meningitis
Funded at Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ · NIH-11381293 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This program helps local labs and scientists in Africa use genome and immune testing to improve diagnosis and treatment for adults with cryptococcal meningitis.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Blacksburg, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2020 |
| Project end | November 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $152,000 |
| NIH project number | 3R01NS118538-06S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11381293 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (21+) with advanced HIV/AIDS who are hospitalized with cryptococcal meningitis at participating African sites would be the most likely candidates to provide samples or join linked clinical work.
✕Less likely to help
People without cryptococcal meningitis, children under 21, or patients outside the participating regions are unlikely to be directly involved or see immediate benefit.
What this research studies
As someone affected by cryptococcal meningitis, this project boosts local lab capacity and trains African researchers to use genome sequencing and immune profiling to study the fungus and patient immune responses. The team will collect clinical samples from adults hospitalized with CM in Uganda and perform genomic analyses of Cryptococcus along with immune assays to identify harmful fungal traits and damaging host responses. The effort also funds infrastructure, data analysis skills, and long-term collaborations so discoveries can move toward practical diagnostics and therapies. Partners include Virginia Tech, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, and the Infectious Diseases Institute at Makerere University.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to quicker diagnosis, better-directed treatments, or immune-based approaches that lower death rates and long-term brain damage from cryptococcal meningitis.
How similar studies have gone: Previous genomic and immunology studies by this team and others have revealed important disease mechanisms and suggested targets, but new treatments are still limited and require further translational work.
Where this research is happening
-
Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ
Blacksburg, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nielsen, Kirsten — Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ
- Study coordinator: Nielsen, Kirsten
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.
-
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.