# Molecular Diagnostic Tools for Patient Oriented Field Studies in Infectious Diseases

> **NIH NIH K24** · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · 2021 · $157,566

## Abstract

I am a Clinician Investigator in the Division of Infectious Diseases at University of Virginia and am submitting
this one-time K24 renewal application to further extend my molecular diagnostics research into patient oriented
research (POR) and to provide protected time to mentor both my direct and institutional trainees. In the 15
years since completion of ID fellowship I have developed a research program in several domains of tropical
infectious diseases, now largely focused on the development of molecular diagnostic tools for research. Aim 1:
In the first term of this grant I established the University of Virginia School of Medicine K-award mentoring
program, which entails a series of Symposia and meetings geared towards both those applying for and those
who have already received NIH K or similar awards. This K24 grant will allow me to continue and extend this
important program further. This grant will also allow protected time to directly mentor my trainees in POR,
which currently consists of 3 K23 recipients and 1 Infectious Disease fellow, working in areas spanning MDR
TB, pediatric TB, childhood diarrhea, and antimicrobial resistance, each with a diagnostic emphasis. Aim 2: I
will also extend my personal research program into POR. Currently funded work includes the use of molecular
diagnostics for both case- and population-level etiologic diagnosis of diarrhea and molecular diagnosis of MDR
Tuberculosis. The most mature work involves diarrheal etiology, and our latest data strongly supports entering
into clinical trials for Enterotoxigenic E. coli vaccines and new Cryptosporidium therapeutics. This K24 will
allow me protected time to insert these molecular diagnostics into these trials as primary or secondary
outcomes and gain needed skills in clinical trial design and data analysis. Finally, consonant with the K24
mechanism, I will expand my research new areas such as molecular diagnostics for antimicrobial resistance.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10199920
- **Project number:** 5K24AI102972-09
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
- **Principal Investigator:** ERIC R HOUPT
- **Activity code:** K24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $157,566
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2013-07-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10199920

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10199920, Molecular Diagnostic Tools for Patient Oriented Field Studies in Infectious Diseases (5K24AI102972-09). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10199920. Licensed CC0.

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