Why some people exposed to TB develop active disease
Bacterial and host determinants of progression, manifestations and consequences of TB
This project looks at how differences in TB bacteria and people’s immune responses change the chances that someone exposed to tuberculosis will develop active disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11144596 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you live with someone recently diagnosed with pulmonary TB, researchers will follow household contacts in Uganda and review past participant data from Uganda and Brazil to learn more about who develops disease. They will compare bacterial strains that spread easily versus those that do not, look at scans like chest X-rays and PET-CT, and test blood for immune gene signatures linked to progression. The team will link bacterial features, imaging, and immune patterns to symptoms, lung damage, and long-term effects. Participation could involve medical exams, imaging, and providing blood or other samples for analysis.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Best candidates are people who have had recent close contact with a person with pulmonary TB (household contacts), including those with diabetes or other risk factors, especially in the study locations.
Not a fit: People without recent TB exposure or who cannot join the Uganda or Brazil cohorts are unlikely to benefit directly from participating in this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help predict who is most likely to develop active TB so prevention or earlier treatment can be targeted to those people.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier studies identified immune signatures (for example ACS-COR and PREDICT29) and imaging markers linked to subclinical TB and progression, but combining strain transmissibility with host signatures across countries is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
Newark, UNITED STATES
- Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences — Newark, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dietze, Reynaldo — Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Dietze, Reynaldo
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 below.