Targeting indoleamine pathways to boost immunity in people with HIV and tuberculosis
Official title: Modulating Indoleamines to Optimize Immunity in the Setting of Mtb/HIV Co-infection
Funded at Texas Biomedical Research Institute · NIH-11326707 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests whether blocking an enzyme called IDO can strengthen immune responses against tuberculosis in the setting of HIV, using animal models that mirror human disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Texas Biomedical Research Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Antonio, United States) |
| Project start | June 21, 2024 |
| Project end | April 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $976,483 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI181701-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11326707 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
The findings would be most relevant to people living with HIV who are co-infected with or at high risk for tuberculosis, particularly those receiving antiretroviral therapy.
✕Less likely to help
People without HIV or whose TB is driven by factors unrelated to IDO-mediated immune dysfunction may be unlikely to benefit from this specific approach.
What this research studies
You should know researchers are using rhesus macaque models that mimic people living with HIV and co-infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis to study immune problems that lead to TB. They give antiretroviral therapy at different times to reproduce the range of human treatment scenarios and then block the IDO pathway to see whether T cells and other immune responses improve. Scientists follow animals over time and examine blood and tissue samples to track infection, immune activation, and TB outcomes. The goal is to learn whether this approach could translate into therapies that reduce TB risk or severity for people with HIV.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could lead to treatments that improve immune control of TB in people living with HIV and reduce TB-related illness and deaths.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical work in macaques shows that blocking the IDO pathway can improve TB and HIV outcomes in single-infection models, but translation to human trials remains limited.
Where this research is happening
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Texas Biomedical Research Institute
San Antonio, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mehra, Smriti — Texas Biomedical Research Institute
- Study coordinator: Mehra, Smriti
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.