CRISPR blood and urine test to find and follow TB in young children
CRISPR-TB for pediatric TB diagnosis and treatment response
This is a CRISPR-based blood and urine test to find and follow tuberculosis in infants and young children.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11136858 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You or your child would give small blood and urine samples that will be tested with an ultra-sensitive CRISPR method to look for pieces of tuberculosis DNA (cell-free DNA). The team plans to enroll about 400 children, mostly under age 5, and will collect samples over time to see if the test finds TB earlier than current methods and how results change during treatment. The group previously saw high accuracy in pilot samples from adults and children in Eswatini and hospitalized children with HIV in Kenya, so this work expands that to a larger prospective cohort. Adults with confirmed TB and household contacts will also be included to broaden the findings.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Children with suspected tuberculosis—especially those under age 5 and children with HIV—are the main candidates, with some adult TB patients and household contacts also included.
Not a fit: People who do not have TB or who cannot provide blood or urine samples are unlikely to get direct benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could allow quicker, less invasive diagnosis of TB in young children and an easy blood or urine way to monitor treatment response.
How similar studies have performed: Pilot data from stored and small prospective cohorts showed high sensitivity and specificity, and CRISPR-based TB detection is a promising but still-developing approach.
Where this research is happening
Seattle, United States
- University of Washington — Seattle, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lacourse, Sylvia — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Lacourse, Sylvia
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 below.