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An Automated Culture System for Use in Preclinical Testing of Host-Directed Therapies for Tuberculosis
Published on: August 16, 2021
Detectable changes in the blood transcriptome are present after two weeks of antituberculosis therapy
Chloe I Bloom1, Christine M Graham, Matthew P R Berry
1Division of Immunoregulation, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London, United Kingdom. cbloom@nimr.mrc.ac.uk
Plos One
|October 12, 2012
Summary
Blood tests can detect early signs of successful tuberculosis treatment. Transcriptional signatures change within two weeks, offering a new way to monitor treatment response and combat drug resistance.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Infectious Diseases
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Tuberculosis (TB) causes 9 million new cases and 1.4 million deaths globally each year.
- Current TB treatment monitoring lacks early biomarkers for adherence or effectiveness, risking disease progression, transmission, and drug resistance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if blood transcriptional signatures change during anti-TB treatment.
- To assess the potential of these signatures as early biomarkers for successful treatment response.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed blood transcriptional profiles of active TB patients in South Africa before, during, and after treatment, comparing them to latent TB individuals.
- Derived and validated active TB and treatment-response transcriptional signatures in independent cohorts.
- Utilized quantitative scoring algorithms and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis to measure transcriptional changes.
Main Results:
- A 664-transcript active TB signature and a 320-transcript treatment-specific signature significantly decreased by two weeks of treatment.
- These signatures continued to diminish through six months of treatment.
- Individual patient responses in transcriptional signatures were measurable.
Conclusions:
- Significant, detectable changes in blood transcriptional signatures occur as early as two weeks after initiating TB treatment.
- Blood transcriptional signatures show promise as early surrogate biomarkers for successful anti-TB treatment response.
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