Our current research objectives are improving TB diagnosis, treatment and prevention by carrying out clinical trials of new diagnostic tests, therapeutic approaches and vaccines. We also aim to understand the mechanisms by which both host and pathogen influence disease severity, treatment responses and outcomes using human macrophage models and omics technologies.
We focus on four research areas:
Clinical and Epidemiology team members include study doctors, study nurses, study coordinators and data coordinators. The team’s responsibilities are working at hospitals and district TB units to recruit participants, making clinical assessments, taking samples, and follow-up until the end of the study. We conduct observational studies, clinical trials and epidemiological studies covering a wide range of new TB diagnostic methods and treatment approaches. The team also has specific project on epi-genomics of drug resistance and diagnosing and treating TB meningitis in children.
Bacterial lab team members include lab technicians, research assistants and PhD/post-doc scientists. The team works in our laboratories at OUCRU (clinical lab, Bio-Safety Level 2 and Level 3 labs). They are responsible for running all the microbiological lab tests (diagnosis tests, drug-susceptible and tolerance testing) required by all studies and managing many types of clinical samples. Some of these tests are routine TB tests; some are novel tests which are still in the development and research stage.
Cell-Immunological lab team members work in our labs at OUCRU to perform cellular and molecular experiments to study molecular determinants of pathogenesis and outcome in pulmonary and meningeal tuberculosis. The team is using cutting-edge technologies, including multi-omics, single-cell genomics and cell infection models to understand disease mechanisms and improve patient outcomes.
Data team members include research assistants and PhD/post-doc scientists who are establishing pipelines to analyse multi-omic data. The team is integrating clinical and laboratory data to identifynew biomarkers for treatment monitoring and new targets for host-directed therapy.
Thuong NTT, Heemskerk D, Tram TTB, et al. Leukotriene A4 Hydrolase Genotype and HIV Infection Influence Intracerebral Inflammation and Survival From Tuberculous Meningitis. J Infect Dis. 2017;215(7):1020-1028. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28419368/
Mai NT, Dobbs N, Phu NH, et al. A randomised double blind placebo controlled phase 2 trial of adjunctive aspirin for tuberculous meningitis in HIV-uninfected adults. Elife. 2018;7:e33478. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29482717/
Van LH, Phu PT, Vinh DN, et al. Risk factors for poor treatment outcomes of 2266 multidrug-resistant tuberculosis cases in Ho Chi Minh City: a retrospective study. BMC Infect Dis. 2020;20(1):164. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32087682/
Tram TTB, Ha VTN, Thu DDA, et al. Variations in Antimicrobial Activities of Human Monocyte-Derived Macrophage and Their Associations With Tuberculosis Clinical Manifestations. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2020;10:586101. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33194825/
Sutherland JS, van der Spuy G, Gindeh A, et al. Diagnostic Accuracy of the Cepheid 3-gene Host Response Fingerstick Blood Test in a Prospective, Multi-site Study: Interim Results. Clin Infect Dis. 2022;74(12):2136-2141. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34550342/
Walker TM, Miotto P, Köser CU, et al. The 2021 WHO catalogue of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex mutations associated with drug resistance: A genotypic analysis. Lancet Microbe. 2022;3(4):e265-e273. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35373160/
