Dr. Yuri F. van der Heijden has just received a 5-year R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) entitled, “Poor Treatment Response and Outcomes in Bedaquiline-Based Treatment Regimens for Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in South Africa” (R01AI158605-01). This was in response to PA-20-185. Total funding awarded for the 5-year project is $2.9 million, with subcontracts to the Aurum Institute, Stellenbosch University, and University of Cape Town. Collaborators include Peter Rebeiro and Bryan Shepherd at VUMC; Violet Chihota and Gavin Churchyard at the Aurum Institute; Rob Warren and Anzaan Dippenaar at Stellenbosch University; and Gary Maartens and Paolo Denti at the University of Cape Town.
In the proposed study, the group aims to determine the clinical, pharmacokinetic, and mycobacterial genotypic and phenotypic predictors of programmatic poor treatment response and outcomes of drug-resistant tuberculosis in South Africa, which will allow targeted interventions among high-risk individuals.