RePORT International: Advancing Tuberculosis Biomarker Research Through Global Collaboration

Area of Science:

• Clinical Research
• Infectious Diseases
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Tuberculosis (TB) clinical research is hindered by the absence of reliable biomarkers for disease progression and treatment outcomes.
• Predicting progression from latent to active TB, and identifying treatment success or failure, remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a global consortium, Regional Prospective Observational Research in Tuberculosis (RePORT) International, to address the need for TB biomarkers.
• To create linked regional cohorts (RePORT India, RePORT Brazil, RePORT Indonesia) using a Common Protocol for data and specimen collection.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a Common Protocol for standardized data and specimen collection across regional cohorts.
• Establishment of in-country tuberculosis-specific data and specimen biorepositories within each RePORT network.

Main Results:

• Expected to enhance global clinical research capacity in high-TB-burden settings.
• Increased local access to high-quality data and specimens for researchers within and outside the participating networks.

Conclusions:

• The RePORT International consortium is poised to accelerate TB biomarker discovery and clinical research.
• Expansion of RePORT networks will further stimulate global TB treatment and prevention research.