Why children with tuberculous meningitis develop brain ischemia
Official title: Understanding ischemia in children with tuberculous meningitis (iThemba)
Funded at Stellenbosch University · NIH-11136861 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will collect brain scans, blood, and spinal fluid from children with tuberculous meningitis to learn what triggers strokes and long-term disability.
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 | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $166,455 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD107063-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11136861 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children (infants through about 11 years) with probable or confirmed tuberculous meningitis are the intended participants.
✕Less likely to help
Children without tuberculous meningitis, adults, or people unable to attend hospital follow-up are not eligible and would not directly benefit from this study.
What this research studies
If my child takes part, doctors will enroll about 80 children with probable or confirmed tuberculous meningitis and collect blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples. Each child will have detailed brain MRIs and an FDG PET/CT at the start, repeat MRI and more samples at two weeks, another MRI at 24 weeks, and a neurodevelopment check at 48 weeks. The team will compare imaging, clinical course, and lab markers (including proteomics and gene expression) to see what patterns link to infarction and poor outcome. Study visits will happen at the recruiting hospital in Stellenbosch, South Africa, and results aim to connect biological signals to brain injury in TBM.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify imaging and biological markers that predict or explain brain infarcts in childhood TB meningitis and point to ways to prevent disability.
How similar studies have gone: The team has prior clinical research in pediatric TBM, but combining advanced imaging with proteomics and transcriptomics to explain infarction is relatively novel.
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.