Preventing brain injury from tuberculous meningitis in children and adults
Official title: INTERCEPT
Funded at Stichting Radboud Universitair Medisch Centrum I.o. · NIH-11249146 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at biological markers and whether adding medicines like aspirin to standard care can help children and adults with tuberculous meningitis survive and avoid brain damage.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stichting Radboud Universitair Medisch Centrum I.o. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nijmegen, Netherlands) |
| Project start | January 1, 2022 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $536,464 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI165721-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11249146 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with confirmed tuberculous meningitis, including young children and adults treated at the participating hospital(s), would be the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without tuberculous meningitis, or those unable to undergo lumbar puncture or provide consent for genetic and metabolomic testing, would not be eligible and are unlikely to benefit directly from participating.
What this research studies
If you or your child are treated for tuberculous meningitis, the team may ask for blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples and your clinical information to look for molecules and genetic traits linked to outcomes. Researchers will run metabolomics and genomic tests and measure proteins such as MMP-10 and levels of tryptophan in the spinal fluid. They will compare findings between children and adults to see if the same pathways explain why children do worse. The project will also look at whether giving aspirin alongside standard therapy reduces strokes and death.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to tests or treatments (like adjunctive aspirin or other host-directed therapies) that lower death and long-term brain injury from TB meningitis.
How similar studies have gone: Previous adult studies found links between CSF tryptophan, MMP-10 and worse outcomes and showed signals that adjunctive aspirin may reduce brain infarctions, but applying these findings to children is new.
Where this research is happening
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Stichting Radboud Universitair Medisch Centrum I.o.
Nijmegen, Netherlands Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Van Crevel, Reinout — Stichting Radboud Universitair Medisch Centrum I.o.
- Study coordinator: Van Crevel, Reinout
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.