How TB progresses in young children with and without HIV
Official title: PROgression of Tuberculosis infECTion in young children living with and without HIV: the PROTECT study
Funded at University of California-Irvine · NIH-11488584 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks for blood or other markers that can tell which young children with TB infection, including those living with HIV, are most likely to develop active TB so they can get preventive treatment early.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California-Irvine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Irvine, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2023 |
| Project end | March 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $21,882 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AI175312-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11488584 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are young children (especially under 5 years) who have been exposed to TB or have evidence of TB infection, including children living with HIV.
✕Less likely to help
Adults, children without TB exposure or infection, and people with unrelated health issues are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
This project searches for patterns in blood and other samples from young children to find markers that show early signs of TB getting worse. Researchers will use stored samples and serial samples collected over time from children in Uganda, South Africa, The Gambia, and Vietnam to compare those who developed TB with those who did not. The aim is to find marker signatures that meet WHO accuracy targets so they could be turned into simple point-of-care tests to guide preventive therapy. Children with and without HIV will be included to see how HIV affects progression and marker performance.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, doctors could identify at-risk children earlier and offer preventive treatment to reduce TB deaths and severe illness.
How similar studies have gone: Some biomarker work in adults and older children has shown promise, but reliable early predictors of TB progression in very young children remain largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California-Irvine
Irvine, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cattamanchi, Adithya — University of California-Irvine
- Study coordinator: Cattamanchi, Adithya
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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.