Portable lung ultrasound with AI to detect adult tuberculosis in low-resource countries
Lung Ultrasound and Artificial Intelligence Technology for the Diagnosis of TB in LMICs
This project uses handheld lung ultrasound plus artificial intelligence to help find tuberculosis in adults living in low- and middle-income countries.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11300195 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you have symptoms that might be TB, researchers will use a portable ultrasound to image your lungs and run the images through an AI tool trained on known TB cases. The team will compare the ultrasound+AI results to standard laboratory tests to see which patients need further testing. They will also develop simple scanning and training procedures that clinicians in low-resource clinics can use. The goal is a fast, on-the-spot tool to help triage people who need confirmatory TB testing.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults aged 21 and older who have symptoms suggesting pulmonary tuberculosis and who present to participating clinics in LMICs are the intended candidates.
Not a fit: People under 21, those without lung-related symptoms, or those with latent (non-pulmonary) TB are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this diagnostic approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could speed up TB detection at local clinics and reduce diagnostic delays that contribute to worse outcomes.
How similar studies have performed: Small preliminary studies reported high sensitivity of lung ultrasound for TB, but larger, well-powered trials combining LUS with AI remain limited.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gilman, Robert H — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Gilman, Robert H
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.