Urine color test to check tuberculosis drug levels in children and adults
Official title: Urine Colorimetry for Tuberculosis Pharmacokinetics Evaluation in Children and Adults
Funded at University of Virginia · NIH-11468977 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses a simple urine color test to see whether children and adults with TB are getting enough of key TB medicines like rifampin.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Virginia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Charlottesville, United States) |
| Project start | September 24, 2018 |
| Project end | October 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $146,449 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AI137080-09S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11468977 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are children and adults being treated for drug-susceptible TB who can provide urine samples at participating clinics, including undernourished patients and those in low-resource settings.
✕Less likely to help
People with drug-resistant TB, those who cannot provide urine samples, or those not near participating sites may not benefit from this urine-based monitoring approach.
What this research studies
You would provide urine samples that are read with a benchtop colorimeter so drug exposure can be estimated without frozen blood tests or complex labs. The team is focusing on rifampin and has developed methods linking urine colorimetric readings to clinically important blood drug levels at practical collection times. The approach is designed to work in clinics without cold-chain storage and can be used for both children and adults in TB-endemic, low-resource settings. The project also examines factors such as gut infections that may lower drug levels and aims to personalize dosing when urine results suggest low exposure.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help clinicians quickly identify patients with low TB drug levels and adjust doses to improve cure rates and reduce the chance of drug resistance.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary work by the investigators showed urine spectrophotometry can predict rifampin blood exposures, so this builds on promising prior results.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Heysell, Scott K — University of Virginia
- Study coordinator: Heysell, Scott K
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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.