Understanding brain injury in children with tuberculous meningitis
Official title: Understanding ischemia in children with tuberculous meningitis (iThemba)
Funded at Stellenbosch University · NIH-11394041 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project studies how TB meningitis causes brain injury in children and how this disease progresses over time.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stellenbosch University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stellenbosch, SOUTH AFRICA) |
| Project start | August 1, 2022 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $157,784 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD107063-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11394041 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are children with probable or confirmed TB meningitis who can undergo MRI and FDG PET/CT and consent to serial sampling and follow-up.
✕Less likely to help
Children whose TB meningitis does not involve infarction or who cannot complete serial imaging and follow-up may receive limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
In pediatric patients with TB meningitis, inflammation and blood vessel problems can lead to brain infarction and lasting disabilities. The study will enroll about 80 children and collect blood, CSF, and MRI/FDG PET/CT data at several time points over 24 weeks, with neurodevelopmental follow-up at 48 weeks. Researchers will compare imaging and biomarker data to understand what drives infarction and worse outcomes, aiming to link biology with clinical evolution. The team includes experts in epidemiology, proteomics, transcriptomics, and radiology to interpret results and identify potential targets for therapy. The study will also explore how early imaging and biomarkers relate to neurodevelopmental outcomes in the first year after treatment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could improve early identification of high-risk children and guide therapies to reduce brain injury and improve long-term development.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work in TBM has shown associations between inflammation, imaging markers, and outcomes, but pediatric infarction mechanisms remain incompletely understood; this study builds on that by prospectively linking biology with imaging and development.
Where this research is happening
-
Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch, South Africa Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Seddon, James Alexander — Stellenbosch University
- Study coordinator: Seddon, James Alexander
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Minimally Invasive Sampling to Improve HIV-Associated M meningitis Diagnosis in Africa
A research study is testing easier, less invasive ways to diagnose meningitis in people living with HIV, with a focus on making diagnosis faster and more accurate in Africa and the US.
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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.
-
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.
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.