International Research Opportunity

Location:              DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA

Institution:  K-RITH/HHMI/Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine

Principal Investigator:    Tawanda Gumbo, MD

Mentoring team:   Prakash Jeena, MD (Pediatrician);  William Bishai, MD, PhD, Tawanda Gumbo, MD

Brief Project Summary:                 The Pathisa project examines the pharmacokinetics of anti-tuberculosis drugs in South African children. The project involves recruitment of children with tuberculosis (TB), collection of specimens such as the blood and cerebrospinal fluid at variety of time points within 1 day, and then processing these so that drug concentrations can be measured. We will also examine over 10,000 alleles of genes encoding for drug transporters and xenobiotic metabolism. We also collect isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis for susceptibility testing as well as whole genome studies later on. The results will be used in computer aided clinical trial simulations to design treatment regimens against TB that are dramatically shorter than current ones.
Preparatory Reading / Training to be completed in advance of departure:
Reading:

1. Iseman M.D.: A clinician’s guide to tuberculosis. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1st Edition (2000)
2. Gumbo: Chapter 48. General Principles of Chemotherapy of Infectious Diseases                                    & Chapter 56. Chemotherapy of Tuberculosis, Mycobacterium avium Complex, Leprosy.                   Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 12th Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2011.
3. Some laboratory training at UT Southwestern in Dr. Gumbo’s lab (BSL-2 lab)

Special health concerns to be addressed in advance of departure (immunization, prophylaxis, etc):
Standard immunization.