Harnessing the body’s response to leptospirosis for diagnosis and prognosis
Official title: Harnessing the Host Response to Leptosporisis for Diagnosis and Prognosis
Funded at University of California Los Angeles · NIH-11398078 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A research project at a major university aims to develop blood tests that use how the body responds to leptospirosis to quickly diagnose the infection and predict how severe it will be.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Los Angeles NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | May 16, 2023 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $421,296 |
| NIH project number | 5P01AI168148-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11398078 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with suspected leptospirosis, especially children around 12 years old, who are enrolled and followed at participating sites.
✕Less likely to help
Some patients may not benefit if the biomarkers do not perform well across all strains or if follow-up samples are not collected.
What this research studies
This project focuses on understanding how the human immune system's response to leptospirosis can reveal both the presence of the infection and its likely course. Researchers plan to collect and analyze patient samples over time to identify molecular biomarkers that reflect disease activity and severity. The goal is to create tests that work even when conventional methods are limited, and to do so in diverse locations with different Leptospira strains. The work involves observational study components with prospective follow-up to ensure biomarkers are robust across populations. The project is led by Duke University collaborators and a team at UCLA, leveraging years of experience in host-response research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could get faster, more accurate diagnosis and better guidance on treatment based on predicted disease severity.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work in host-response biomarkers has shown promise for infectious diseases, but this project aims to validate them specifically for leptospirosis across diverse settings.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Reller, Megan Elizabeth — University of California Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Reller, Megan Elizabeth
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Harnessing the body's response to leptospirosis to aid diagnosis and prognosis
This grant aims to develop new ways to detect leptospirosis earlier and predict how severe it might become by studying the body's own response.
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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.