Approved Research

Investigating the natural history and interactions of mycobacterial infections and immune-mediated diseases to understand factors impacting clinical outcomes

Lay summary

Research in disease prevention, care, coordination, and health impact often focuses on a single disease. However, increase in multiple infections and concomitant diseases brings on numerous challenges and difficulties in diagnosis and care. These challenges are compounded by complications arising from the disease itself, such as treatment failure or post-infection lung damage associated with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Underlying factors that may contribute to differential clinical outcomes or treatment response for a single disease or multiple infections and diseases may be due to host-pathogen factors and interactions, interactions between co-infections or concomitant diseases, and genetics. Presence of a previous infection or primary disease not only complicates the diagnosis or treatment of subsequent infections (e.g., SARS-CoV-2, HIV, etc.) but may also contribute to increased susceptibility to infections, poorer health, and clinical outcomes resulting in increased morbidity and mortality.

We aim to investigate factors associated with mycobacterial or viral infection or immune-mediated diseases and the impact on clinical outcomes (e.g., susceptibility, progression, and severity). This project employs interdisciplinary analysis approaches including multi-omics (genomics and proteomics), statistics, and machine learning techniques. The research involves specific questions regarding risk from a history of infection by one of the most common infectious diseases in the world, TB, and its subsequent impact during the recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, as well as investigating underlying molecular factors influencing treatment outcome of TB. Moreover, the study further examines genetic and proteomic factors that can map the molecular risk factors associated with mycobacterial infection or immune-mediated diseases and poor outcomes arising from these conditions.

The project duration is 36 months but may need to be extended due to the complexity of the analyses and the hypothesis generating nature of the research.

Our research will extend our understanding of host and pathogen factors, interactions underlying infection, including associations arising from multiple infections and diseases with concurrent mycobacterial or immune-mediated diseases, that may influence clinical outcomes. This knowledge may lead to improved clinical diagnostics and the development of therapeutics or interventions to mitigate disease progression and severity.