# Strategies for tuberculosis control in prisons

> **NIH NIH R01** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $653,230

## Abstract

Project Summary
Tuberculosis remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, despite the
widespread availability of effective treatment and prevention measures. Prisons harbor
among the highest rates of tuberculosis worldwide, and, in many regions, tuberculosis
burden in correctional settings is growing. The WHO now recommends active case
finding for tuberculosis in prisons and other high burden settings, but there is a dearth of
evidence for how to accurate and efficiently identify cases early to reduce transmission.
To address these gaps, we propose to a prospect cohort study among incarcerated
individuals in high tuberculosis burden prisons in Central Western Brazil to: 1) evaluate
the use of portable, digital x-rays with automated interpretation for intensive case finding;
2) determine whether genomic data can be used to track transmission rates at the
population level; and 3) use mathematical models to identify effective, scalable
strategies for tuberculosis case finding and prevention in prisons. We will test the
hypotheses that: 1) x-ray with automated interpretation can achieve WHO target product
profile thresholds for accuracy as a screening test among incarcerated individuals, even
among those with asymptomatic or early disease; 2) emerging phylodynamic methods
can be used to monitor trends in transmission; and 3) serial screening combined with
preventive therapy would be a cost-effective and impactful approach for tuberculosis
control in high-burden prisons globally. Overall, this project will address critical gaps in
tuberculosis diagnosis and prevention among a large, underserved, high-risk population,
to protect their health and the health of their communities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10802438
- **Project number:** 5R01AI130058-07
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jason Randolph Andrews
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $653,230
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-03-01 → 2028-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10802438

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10802438, Strategies for tuberculosis control in prisons (5R01AI130058-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10802438. Licensed CC0.

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