# A Global Research Resource for Human Tuberculosis

> **NIH NIH R24** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2024 · $1,185,782

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
There is a fundamental gap in our current understanding of how Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) causes
disease in the human lung, and several reasons are responsible for this lack of knowledge. Firstly, the availability
of tuberculous human lung tissues plummeted with the introduction of antibiotics in the 1940s and 1950s.
Secondly, TB research using animals rapidly progressed and novel technologies were applied to these model
systems. However, it is well known that no animal model reproduces the full spectrum of disease as it occurs in
humans, or naturally mediates transmission to new hosts. Not surprisingly, interest in human pulmonary TB was
revived decades later when it was realized that the disease had never been eradicated. Despite this, there are
few studies focused on elucidating the fundamental mechanisms of active, subclinical, and latent human TB,
which is likely due to limited access to human TB lung tissue. We believe the TB field can no longer rely on
animal models that yield findings of limited clinical relevance. Thus, there is an urgent need to better understand
human pulmonary TB in order to develop clinically relevant therapeutic strategies. The overall goal of this R24
proposal is to transform the global landscape of TB research by accelerating the study of human TB tissue. We
will accomplish this by providing user-requested services comprised of two components: (i) the pathological,
cellular, structural, and/or genetic analysis of resected human TB or postmortem (PM) tissue and (ii), the
dissemination of tissue to the global TB research community. We have several unique advantages since AHRI,
located in Durban, South Africa, has access to a continuously growing collection of active TB/HIV and PM
samples, including entire lungs/lobes. This R24 proposal is built upon substantial published data from our group
that clearly demonstrate our capacity to examine resected and PM lung tissue from Mtb/HIV-infected human
subjects. The rationale for this proposal are (i) that by providing this dedicated service to the TB research
community, numerous laboratories worldwide will be able to rapidly ascertain the clinical relevance of their basic
science discoveries, which will help refine the focus of their research to have translational impact, and (ii) our
services will drive the discovery of new human TB paradigms, or challenge existing paradigms, ultimately leading
to the development of clinically relevant diagnostics, anti-TB drugs, and/or vaccines. This proposal is significant
because it is the first step in a progression of innovative services to the global TB research community that is
expected to bolster and accelerate translational and clinical research to expedite the discovery of innovative new
strategies to improve diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of TB.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11006769
- **Project number:** 1R24AI186591-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** ADRIE JC STEYN
- **Activity code:** R24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,185,782
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-06-18 → 2029-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11006769

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11006769, A Global Research Resource for Human Tuberculosis (1R24AI186591-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11006769. Licensed CC0.

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