Using genomics and immune science to fight cryptococcal meningitis in people with HIV
Official title: Genomic Research Capacity Building for Cryptococcal Meningitis
Funded at Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ · NIH-10999571 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses genetic and immune testing and builds local laboratory capacity to find better treatments for cryptococcal meningitis in adults with advanced HIV in Africa.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Blacksburg, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2020 |
| Project end | November 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $368,800 |
| NIH project number | 2R01NS118538-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-10999571 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults (21+) with advanced HIV who are hospitalized with or at high risk for cryptococcal meningitis at participating African clinical sites.
✕Less likely to help
People without HIV, children under 21, or those with non-cryptococcal meningitis are unlikely to be eligible or directly benefit from this project.
What this research studies
From a patient's point of view, the team is strengthening hospitals and labs in Uganda and other African partner sites and training local scientists so they can collect and study samples from people with cryptococcal meningitis. They will sequence the Cryptococcus fungus and measure patients' immune responses to learn why some people survive and others do not. The researchers combine this pathogen and human data to identify new targets for treatments and bring findings back into clinical care. The work links hospitals, laboratories, and clinicians to speed discoveries into real-world care.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to more effective, targeted treatments and lower death and disability rates from cryptococcal meningitis in people with HIV.
How similar studies have gone: Previous clinical and laboratory studies by this team and others have revealed genetic and immune factors that influence cryptococcal outcomes, offering promising leads though definitive new therapies are still needed.
Where this research is happening
-
Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ
Blacksburg, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nielsen, Kirsten — Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ
- Study coordinator: Nielsen, Kirsten
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.