Global collection of human tuberculosis lung tissue and data

A Global Research Resource for Human Tuberculosis

NIH-funded research University of Alabama at Birmingham · NIH-11121101

This project builds a worldwide collection of human TB lung tissue and detailed analyses to help researchers develop better tests and treatments for people with tuberculosis.

Quick facts

Grant typeNIH-funded research
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Birmingham, United States)
Project IDNIH-11121101 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you donate tissue, doctors will collect lung specimens removed for clinical reasons and link them with medical information while performing detailed pathological, cellular, structural, and genetic analyses. The project will provide those analyses and tissue-access services to researchers around the world to speed studies of active, subclinical, and latent pulmonary TB. Participating hospitals will send specimens to labs that use advanced 3-D imaging and molecular methods to study real human lung disease. Your contribution would help researchers learn how TB affects human lungs in ways that animal models cannot fully reproduce.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with active pulmonary tuberculosis who are undergoing lung surgery or clinically indicated resections and can consent to donate tissue and clinical data.

Not a fit: People without tuberculosis, those not undergoing tissue collection procedures, or anyone seeking immediate personal treatment benefit are unlikely to benefit directly from joining this resource.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this resource could help researchers create more accurate diagnostics and more targeted therapies based on real human TB lung biology.

How similar studies have performed: Historically a few human tissue studies informed TB knowledge but were limited, and this larger coordinated human-tissue resource is relatively novel and intended to fill that gap.

Where this research is happening

Birmingham, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome VirusAcquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Virus
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.