KTRTP Research

Overview

The Kenya TB Research & Training Program (KTRTP) support TB research and training in Kenya by bringing together investigators in Kenya and Seattle and developing TB-specific resources to catalyze research projects and discoveries that help end the TB epidemic. In Kenya, we will identify TB-specific priorities that foster training and capacity development and address current in-country research gaps and bottlenecks.

• Funded by the Firland Foundation, we have initiated a pilot aerobiology project to address novel aspects of Mtb transmission, develop a clinical enrollment infrastructure, and establish a biobank for other pilot proposals including development of novel TB diagnostics.  We are enrolling individuals with pulmonary TB in Kenya for cough aerosol assessment, cough digital signature assessment, and immunologic profiling of sputum, urine, and blood to develop a biomarker of infectiousness.  We will assess indicators of transmission in pediatric contacts of the adult index case. We hypothesize that high cough aerosols are associated with a digital cough signature and/or transcriptional profile that are biomarkers of infectiousness. We are also developing a core clinical enrollment infrastructure with consent forms, clinical research forms, and sample collection standard operating procedures for enrollment of TB cases and contacts in Kenya for epidemiologic, clinical trial, diagnostic, and immunologic studies. We plan to enroll 20 adult and 20 pediatric TB index cases with cough aerosol assessment, cough digital signature assessment, and immunologic profiling of sputum, urine, and blood to develop a biomarker of infectiousness. We will also assess indicators of transmission (IGRA, PPD, COR transcriptional profile) in pediatric contacts of the adult and pediatric index cases. Plans include creation of a biobank for collaborative pilot projects including sample collection for diagnostic (sputum, urine, blood) and microbiologic (Mtb strains) studies of index cases and contacts with longitudinal sample collection. PIs: Drs. Videlis Nduba, Tom Hawn, and David Horne
   
• Faculty in DOM Divisions of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (AID) and Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine (PCCS) and DGH recently received an NIH D43 grant entitled “Tuberculosis & HIV Co-Infection Training Program in Kenya (TBHTP)”.  This program, led by MPIs Tom Hawn (AID, DGH), Elizabeth Obimbo (University of Nairobi & UW DGH), and Videlis Nduba (Kenya Medical Research Institute) along with Assistant Directors David Horne (PCCS, DGH) and Sylvia LaCourse (AID, DGH) and administrative leadership by Ksenia Koon (AID, BMGF) proposes a new training program in TB-HIV co-infection research. The TBHTP seeks to enhance training and local capacity building of the next generation of leaders in Kenya who will discover novel research and public health strategies to combat the dual TB-HIV epidemic. The TBHTP is led by members of the TB Research and Training Center (TRTC) and the Kenya TB Research and Training Program.