Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded $842,888 to The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) on February 9, 2026, for a project period extending through January 31, 2031. This Project Grant supports research to identify immunological and transcriptional factors associated with treatment response in drug-susceptible tuberculosis (TB) patients. The research leverages existing samples and datasets from three clinical trials (PREDICT TB, Study 31/A5349, and A5409/RAD-TB) to define host immune pathways and genetic regulatory networks linked to accelerated microorganism sterilization and treatment outcomes, measured by time to stable culture conversion (TTSCC).

The primary deliverables include: (1) transcriptional profiling of whole blood samples to identify pathways associated with shorter TTSCC, with validation of candidate findings using CRISPR/CAS9-edited primary human macrophages; and (2) characterization of immune cell subsets in peripheral blood that predict treatment response, incorporating a novel early efficacy endpoint based on serial sputum culture time-to-positivity measurements. These research outputs will advance understanding of TB treatment efficacy mechanisms and potentially identify predictive biomarkers to optimize therapeutic strategies for drug-susceptible TB patients.