CTD ResearchWhere we work

This collaboration investigates how Leishmania infection induces immunosuppression in visceral leishmaniasis patients. Utilizing advanced molecular techniques, researchers analyze immune cell responses and gene expression profiles to identify biomarkers associated with disease progression and treatment response. The ultimate goal is to develop new therapeutic approaches that enhance immune function, improve clinical outcomes, and contribute to the global fight against neglected tropical diseases.

Key research areas:

• Immunosuppression in visceral leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis is a priority re-emerging disease in Colombia and worldwide, with the World Health Organization (WHO) classifying it as a neglected tropical disease. This designation highlights its strong link to poverty and the limited economic interest in developing new treatments and control strategies.

The collaborative research between UTMB and the Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas (CIDEIM) focuses on advancing point-of-care diagnostics for cutaneous leishmaniasis. Through a multidisciplinary approach combining molecular and cellular biology, immunology, biochemistry, epidemiology, and clinical research, this partnership aims to understand and address the factors contributing to disease progression and therapeutic failure.

CIDEIM's excellence in leishmaniasis research has been recognized through its designation as a WHO Collaborating Center since 1992 and a Reference Center for identifying Leishmania species.

Leishmaniasis

Key research areas:

• Cutaneous leishmaniasis
• Point of care diagnostics

• Understanding immunosuppression in human visceral leishmaniasis by transcriptional profiling of the spleen
• Studies in pathogenesis and treatment of childhood malnutrition

The collaboration between UTMB and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) in Nairobi focuses on two critical health challenges: understanding immunosuppression in human visceral leishmaniasis through spleen transcriptional profiling and investigating the pathogenesis and treatment of childhood malnutrition. Utilizing advanced molecular techniques and clinical research, this partnership aims to identify key immune pathways, develop novel therapeutic interventions, and improve health outcomes in Kenya and beyond. Key objectives include characterizing immune responses in visceral leishmaniasis, evaluating nutritional and immunomodulatory therapies for malnourished children, and contributing to national health policies through research and capacity-building initiatives.

Research - KEMRI

Key research areas:

• Immunosuppression in visceral leishmaniasis
• Pathogenesis and treatment of childhood malnutrition

This research partnership employs a human flourishing community model to support individuals living with HIV in Maua, Kenya. By integrating medical care with community-led initiatives, the project promotes holistic well-being and long-term engagement in HIV treatment programs. Key activities include building support networks, providing psychosocial counseling, and offering vocational training to empower patients economically. The project aims to improve health outcomes, reduce stigma, and create sustainable community support systems to enhance the quality of life for people with HIV.

Key research areas:

• HIV care engagement and retention strategies
• Community-based support model

The Colombia-US Fogarty Training Program is dedicated to strengthening research capacity in Colombia by equipping scientists with the knowledge and tools to diagnose and study acute undifferentiated febrile illnesses (AUFIs), a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Latin America. Many AUFIs remain misclassified under the “dengue” umbrella due to limited diagnostic resources. The program aims to bridge this gap through specialized training in diagnostics, research methodologies, and epidemic preparedness.

E&T Colombia-US Fogarty Page on CTD

Key research areas:

• Acute undifferentiated febrile illness (AUFI)

To this day, various communities in Central and West Africa remain isolated from larger urban centers or major trading routes. As such, cases of emerging pathogens in these populations would probably not be reported to local health authorities and thereby increase the risk of pathogen amplification, resulting in larger outbreaks and/or public health emergencies of international concern. Recent outbreaks have also made it clear that inadequate consideration of social, cultural, political, and religious factors in humanitarian responses has fatal consequences regarding the effectiveness and acceptability of response activities.

Working with partners in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we aim to identify locally-driven solutions to effective surveillance and early detection of pathogens in a range of isolated communities. This approach would be complemented with the identification and establishment of trustful communication channels between select communities and the local health authorities and/or other responders that could be activated during a disease outbreak. This would be accomplished using a wide array of methods such as community-based research groups, interviews with key stakeholders, as well as participant observations.

Overall, this approach would create multi-level partnerships between remote communities and local and external health authorities, allowing surveillance plans to be supported and acted upon.

Community-based early detection and alert system for emerging pathogens in remote populations

Key research areas:

• Surveillance and early detection of emerging pathogens
• Community-based research and participatory methods
• One Health

Southeast Asia has been identified as a hotspot for emerging infectious diseases including arboviruses such as Japanese encephalitis, dengue, chikungunya, and Zika virus. In Malaysia, dengue is commonly reported, affecting roughly 50-100 million people with a combined death toll estimated to be 24,000 per year globally. While the capacity for arbovirus diagnostics is good in some parts of the country, the equatorial state of Sarawak, Malaysia, located on the island of Borneo, only has the capacity for rapid combo tests (RCT) which are exclusively used in dengue detection and the ability to surveil for other arboviruses are not routinely available.

The T-COR 8 Real-time PCR Thermocycler (Tetracore Industries, Rockville, MD, USA) increases the span of surveillance possible for clinicians in Sarawak due to the breadth of its diagnostic capability, as well as its portability. Therefore, the overall goals of this study are to 1) evaluate the clinical value of the T-COR 8 multiplexing platform for detecting dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses; and 2) determine the prevalence of dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus infections among patients with dengue-like infection symptoms in medical facilities in Sarawak. Teams at two collaborating institutions, Sibu and Kapit medical facilities, in Sarawak, Malaysia will enroll and collect serum, gingival crevicular fluid, and urine samples and conduct qualitative surveys to determine risk factors associated with arboviruses. An aliquot of serum, gingival crevicular fluid, and urine samples will be run on the T-COR 8 at Sibu and Kapit facilities. A second paired aliquot of sera will be studied with US CDC gold standard molecular assays at Sibu to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the Tetracore results. A third paired aliquot of sera will be shipped to Tetracore Inc. for antibody assays. UTMB staff will provide guidance on laboratory assays and will provide statistical support to determine risk factors associated with arbovirus infection.

Detection of Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika viruses - Sarawak, Malaysia

Key research areas:

• Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika viruses
• One Health

Mongolia has some of the highest ambient particulate matter (PM) concentrations in the world and frequently suffer epidemics of viral respiratory disease. There is some evidence to suggest that PM exposure may weaken the immune defense against respiratory viral infection thereby enhancing incidence and severity of infection but this has not been well studied. In collaboration with the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences (MNUMS) and Duke University, we will test the hypothesis that PM exposure weakens the immune defense against respiratory viral infection through a main study and two pilot studies. Specifically we first aim to characterize the relationship between PM exposure and respiratory viral infection through a time-series analysis of weekly influenza-like illness rates in association with PM levels in two major Mongolian cities, Ulaanbaatar (UB) and Darkhan City (DC).

Secondly, we aim to examine immunological and viral responses to personal PM exposure by following 100 nonsmoking adults in both UB and DC every 6 months for three years and collect questionnaire data and biological specimens for lung function, inflammatory responses, and blood pressure. Air samplers will also be employed to measure both PM exposure and to detect airborne viruses. The third aim of this project is to define the direct effects of PM exposure on epithelial integrity and immune signaling and the subsequent impact on anti-viral responses. This will be done through cell culture studies directly linked to aim 2 subjects (as cell donors). Lastly, in the two pilot studies, we will explore the effects of PM and heavy metals in PM on pulmonary tuberculosis and bone mineral loss, respectively, in family members of the subjects enrolled for Aim 2. UTMB staff will provide guidance, training, and oversight for the measurement of viruses in bioaerosol samples collected in houses for Aim 2. UTMB Positive bioaerosol samples may also be transferred to UTMB for further characterization studies by UTMB staff.

Mongolian Center for Environmental and Occupational Health in Mongolia

Key research areas:

• Viral Respiratory Diseases
• One Health

Global Infectious Diseases Research Network (GIDRN)
The Global Infectious Diseases Research Network (GIDRN) is an international collaboration between UTMB and eight partner institutions across Latin America, dedicated to advancing clinical, translational, and field research in infectious diseases.
Partner Institutions

• Colombian Institute of Tropical Medicine – Apartadó, Colombia
• University of Antioquia – Medellín, Colombia
• Pontificia Universidad Javeriana – Bogotá, Colombia
• Universidad Central del Este – San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic
• Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán – Mérida, Mexico
• UPCH-UTMB Collaborative Research Center – Cusco, Peru

Our Vision
GIDRN is committed to building a sustainable and synergistic research network that strengthens infectious disease research through mutually beneficial global partnerships, advancing public health efforts worldwide.

Training & Capacity Building
GIDRN provides specialized training to enhance research and technical expertise in:

• Scientific and grant writing
• Molecular diagnostics
• Human subjects research
• Data management
• Laboratory and field biosafety
• MinION sequencing platform
• Multi-site studies on acute undifferentiated febrile illness (AUFI)
• Site visit inspections

Through these initiatives, GIDRN strengthens regional research capacity and fosters international collaboration to address critical global health challenges.

Key research areas:  

• Acute undifferentiated febrile illness (AUFI)
• Vector-borne diseases
• Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases
• Molecular diagnostics and sequencing
• Public health interventions and epidemiology

Each year, the World Health Organization (WHO) produces a list of priority pathogens, for which scientific resources should be invested towards in the upcoming year. These pathogens usually exhibit a higher outbreak potential and do not have readily available medical countermeasures. In Central and West Africa, more often than not, only limited or outdated data is available on the prevalence of these pathogens.

We are therefore working with local institutions in Africa to provide them with training and diagnostic capacities. Depending on the country, the targeted priority pathogens include Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus, Ebola virus, Marburg virus, Lassa virus, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus, Nipah virus and henipaviral diseases, Rift Valley Fever (RVF) virus and Zika virus. Monkeypox and Leptospirosis, for which the WHO also noted that a more comprehensive surveillance program is needed, will also be included when possible.

In addition to training local individuals, the above research-based training program will provide information on the prevalence of various infectious threats from the WHO list of priority pathogens in various locations in Central and West Africa.

Laboratory-based surveillance of WHO priority pathogens

Key research areas:

• Training and diagnostic capacity building
• Surveillance of emerging and priority pathogens in Central and West Africa
• One Health

In this 5-year, One Health-oriented, prospective research project we will study 16 US or Mexican livestock farms (pigs, cattle, or poultry) for SARS-CoV-2 and other circulating coronaviruses using our pan-species coronavirus assay. Questionnaire data (farm and livestock workers) and samples will be collected every four months for one year from the farm environment, the farm livestock, and the livestock workers. In between the four farm visits, we will use postage-paid sample kits to collect and ship nasal/oral swabs from livestock or livestock workers with signs of respiratory illness to UTMB. In year 3 of the study, we will field-test on farms a pan-coronavirus assay developed by GeneCapture, Inc. We will intensively study novel coronaviruses with culture, full genome assembly and reverse genetics. Overall, this study aims to develop effective and cost-efficient methods for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses on livestock farms. Summary surveillance data and novel pre-pandemic coronavirus detections will be shared with the National Animal Health Laboratory Network for further assessment. We expect to demonstrate that this rather low cost, One Health surveillance approach to farm biosecurity will serve as a model for pre-pandemic pathogen detection and have potential for widespread adoption. Additionally, in support of this work, we will offer practical virology training to up to 40 minority undergraduate students from Galveston College over the five years of research.

Rapid Detection of Incursions of SARS-CoV-2 and Novel Coronaviruses on Texas Meat and Dairy Farms

Key research areas:

• Coronaviruses
• Virology
• One Health

Training and Research on Arboviruses and Zoonoses In Nigeria and Sierra Leone (TRAIN) Program: Leveraging our West African Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases (WAC-EID, NIAID) outstanding research leaders in West Africa, and the exceptional breadth of expertise in emerging viral diseases at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), we provide multidisciplinary training for young scientists from Sierra Leone and Nigeria. The TRAIN Program aims to provide on-site and specialized training in the most advanced methods and techniques for expertise transfer to Sierra Leone and Nigeria. Upon the completion of the TRAIN program, young scientists will play critical roles in surveillance to better understand the circulation of emerging viruses in the region, mechanisms of emergence, virus discovery, epidemic transmission, pathogenesis, and countermeasures to mitigate emerging viral threats.

Training

Key research areas:

• Surveillance of emerging viruses and zoonotic diseases
• Mechanisms of viral emergence and epidemic transmission
• Virus discovery and pathogenesis
• Development of countermeasures to emerging viral threats

The University of Texas Medical Branch and Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia Collaborative Research Center in Cusco (aka Sede Cusco – Instituto de Medicina Tropical, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia) was funded in January of 2012 in the city of Cusco. This center is the results of a long-lasting collaboration between faculty at UTMB and UPCH. Since its inception the focus of the activities has been on research and training in global health and tropical diseases. Our research areas include neglected helminth infections, travel associated diseases, and emerging infections in rural and impoverished communities. We are funded to characterize the epidemiology and genomics of Fasciola hepatica and other helminth, study the epidemiology and clinical aspects of emerging agents causing acute undifferentiated febrile illness, and to perform surveillance on respiratory viruses and enteropathogens in populations of travelers. We have trained more than one hundred local and foreign learners in tropical medicine research and trained over one hundred fifty local healthcare workers from small remote health posts on different aspects of maternal-fetal health. We have a network of local and foreign collaborators from academic, government, and philanthropic organizations including the Peruvian Ministry of Health, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Universidad Nacional de Cajamarca, Washington University in St. Louis, and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute.

Key research areas:

• Neglected helminth infections
• Travel-associated diseases
• Emerging infections in underserved communities
• Acute undifferentiated febrile illness (AUFI)
• Surveillance of respiratory viruses and enteropathogens
• Maternal-fetal health in remote health posts

During the last 25 years the world has experienced the emergence and spread of a number of novel respiratory viruses including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in 2003 and 2004, and now SARS-CoV-19. Similarly, in 2009, a triple reassortment H1N1 swine-like influenza virus emerged in Mexico, and quickly spread throughout the world. While these novel emergent respiratory viruses are from different families, they have one thing in common, they are thought to have originated in animal and crossed over to infect man. While a variety of risk factors associated with emerging respiratory viruses have been study, the risk factors for specific viruses are complex; however, they tend to be found in densely populated geographic areas of high emerging infectious disease risk and are also often correlated with live animal markets and industrialized farming.

The primary aim of the study is to identify and characterize viruses and determine risk factors associated with pneumonia among patients admitted to participating hospitals in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Kenya, China, and Vietnam. Teams at collaborating institutions will enroll and collect nasopharyngeal (NP) swab and conduct qualitative surveys to determine risk factors associated with pneumonia. NP swab samples will be studied with molecular assays, virus culture, and when appropriate by sequencing, to characterize viruses. We will also study the laboratory results with their linked questionnaire data with a goal of identifying potential risk factors for pneumonia hospitalization.

Projects

Key research areas:

• Novel respiratory viruses
• Coronaviruses
• One Health

West African Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases (Senegal, Nigeria and Sierra Leone): The West African Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases (WAC-EID) addresses critical scientific gaps through field studies of animal to human disease transmission and clinical studies of human exposure with resulting disease outcome. The Center focuses on surveillance of humans, mosquitoes and ticks, and wild animals including bats, which are likely hosts of filoviruses, coronaviruses, and henipaviruses. These efforts will possibly identify new emerging viruses and produce risk maps for human exposure. The infrastructure and local expertise developed through projects in Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, along with biosafety and biosecurity training and improved diagnostics, will also prepare the region for future outbreaks of emerging viral and other infectious diseases. Research conducted in the Center will increase mechanistic understanding of animal to human viral maintenance and emergence, causes of fever and hemorrhagic diseases, diverse disease outcomes, and risks for local and international disease spread. Novel viruses with emergence potential will likely be discovered through clinical surveillance of animal hosts and vectors. The strengthening of existing collaborations between the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and its partners in Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria will support a West African network of emerging viral disease laboratories and hospitals prepared to respond quickly and effectively to future outbreaks.

WACEID website

Key research areas:

• Clinical Surveillance
• Identification of novel viruses with emergence potential
• Risk mapping for human exposure to zoonotic diseases
• Biosafety, biosecurity, and diagnostics training