New study aims to evaluate a novel pediatric TB diagnostic tool and treatment response

Young children account for 50% of pediatric tuberculosis (TB) cases but are least likely to be diagnosed and are at the highest risk of death without prompt treatment. Current available diagnostics – typically sputum-based – often fail to identify TB in children and are generally not reliable for measuring treatment response. There is a need to develop and evaluate novel diagnostic tools utilizing blood and urine, which may identify pediatric TB missed by respiratory sampling.

A new five-year study titled “CRISPR-TB for pediatric TB diagnosis and treatment response” funded by the National Institutes of Health will support an evaluation of a CRISPR-based technology to target and detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell-free DNA (cfDNA). The study’s findings may provide a deeper understanding of its potential to diagnosis pediatric TB early and accurately and improve treatment responses.

The study team includes Principal Investigator Dr. Sylvia LaCourse, associate professor (UW Global Health, Allergy and Infectious Diseases), Jaclyn Escudero, research coordinator (Global WACh), and co-investigators Dr. Tony Hu (Tulane University), Dr. Videlis Nduba (Kenya Medical Research Institute Centre for Respiratory Diseases Research (KEMRI CRDR), with support from their respective research teams.

The study leverages an existing collaboration between KEMRI CRDR who leads the clinical cohorts, while the Hu Lab will lead the CRISPR-TB platform optimization and testing of samples. The UW GWACh team led by Dr. LaCourse will provide oversight for the study design, execution, and analysis.