Minimally Invasive Sampling to Improve HIV-Associated M meningitis Diagnosis in Africa

Who could benefit from this research

What this research studies

The project seeks to map the full range of pathogens causing HIV-associated meningitis and to develop better, point-of-care tests using CSF lipid biomarkers. It will use minimally invasive sampling methods to collect CSF and other data, with an emphasis on identifying diagnostic markers that work in both high-resource and resource-limited settings. The work intends to translate findings into practical approaches that could improve how clinicians diagnose tuberculous meningitis, cryptococcal meningitis, and bacterial meningitis in people with HIV. By studying diverse patient populations, including those in Sub-Saharan Africa, the study aims to generate results that can inform US care as well as global practice. The long-term goal is to enable faster, more accurate decisions about meningitis treatment for people living with HIV.

Why it matters

Where this research is happening

• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
  Boston, United States Active

Researchers

• Principal investigator: Siddiqi, Omar Khalik — Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
• Study coordinator: Siddiqi, Omar Khalik

Related research

Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.

• 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.

  NIH research University of Minnesota · Minneapolis, United States · NIH-11615077

• 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.

  NIH research University of Minnesota · Minneapolis, United States · NIH-11539368

• 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.

  NIH research University of Minnesota · Minneapolis, United States · NIH-11536232

• 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.

  NIH research Stellenbosch University · Stellenbosch, SOUTH AFRICA · NIH-11474075

• 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.

  NIH research Albert Einstein College of Medicine · Bronx, United States · NIH-11432319

• Blood-brain barrier problems during bacterial meningitis

  Researchers are studying why the brain’s protective barrier fails during bacterial meningitis and how that leads to brain injury, with a focus on how bacteria invade brain cells and disrupt protective transporters.

  NIH research University of Texas Dallas · Richardson, United States · NIH-11431371

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.