Gates Grand Challenge - 2006-2012

Grand Challenge #6-74 Biomarkers of Protective Immunity Against TB in the Context of HIV/AIDS in Africa

Information:

Sponsor - The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Principal Investigator - Stefan H.E. Kaufmann, Ph.D., Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology; Co-Investigator - W. Henry Boom, M.D., CWRU

Type of Study Observational
Design Longitudinal nested case-control cohort study with 2 year follow-up
Project Site Uganda, The Gambia, Malawi, South Africa, Ethiopia
Sample Size Total across sites: 1098 HIV- patients with active TB, 4690 household contacts and controls with and without LTBI, 359 HIV+ TB patients and 895 HIV+ household contacts and controls without TB
Population Adults with a culture confirmed , initial case of clinically active tuberculosis and adult members of their households without TB disease
Study Period 2006-2012
Interactions The TBRU enrolled subjects for the GC-6 studies through the Uganda-CWRU Research Collaboration. Additionally, the TBRU data coordinating center has managed the combined data from all participating field sites in Africa to produce a comprehensive database that can be used by GC6 researchers to develop and test hypotheses regarding the host response to TB infection and disease.

Goal of Study:

The aim of this study is to learn which immunological responses provide protective immunity to TB in order to facilitate the discovery of new TB vaccines.

Objectives of Study:

  1. To compare biomarker responses between household contact participants that have natural immunity against active TB disease and household contact participants who progress to active disease within the 2 year follow-up time. Markers that differ between groups are potentially useful as correlates of protection
  2. To compare biomarker responses in HIV positive participants without active disease who control the infection compared to those HIV positive participants who progress to active disease over the 2 year follow-up and assess the effects of ART and treatment of latent infection on biomarker responses

Published Papers:

Black, GF, Thiel, BA, Ota, MO, Parida, SK, Adegbola, R, Boom, WH, Dockrell, HM, Kees, LMC, Friggen, AH, Hill, PC, Klein, MR, Lalor, MK, Mayanja, H, Schoolnik, G, Stanley, K, Weldingh, K, Kaufmann, SHE, Walzl, G, Ottenhoff, THM, and the GCGH Biomarkers for TB Consortium. Immunogenicity of Novel DosR Regulon-Encoded Candidate Antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Three High-Burden Populations in Africa. 2009. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology 16:1203-1212. PMID: 19553548