Updates from RePORT Brazil
Regional Prospective Observational Research in Tuberculosis – Brazil (RePORTBrazil) was established in August 2013, with funding from the Departamento de Ciência e Tecnologia (DECIT) – Secretaria de Ciência e Tecnologia (SCTIE) of the Ministry of Health of Brazil, and the National Institutes of Health of the United States. During Phase 1, three sites in Rio de Janeiro, one in Manaus, and one in Salvador enrolled 1,188 persons with presumed pulmonary TB and 1,930 close contacts of those TB cases.
Phase 2 is ongoing (2023-2027), with the goal of enrolling 1,000 new TB cases and 2,000 close contacts, at two sites in Rio de Janeiro (Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz and Federal University of Rio de Janeiro – Duque de Caxias), one in Manaus (Fundacao de Medicina Tropical Doutor Heitor Vieira Dourado), and one in Salvador (Instituto Brasileiro de Investigacao da Tuberculose). The specimen biorepository is located at the Fundacao Jose Silveira in Salvador.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center is the U.S.-based academic partner working with RePORT-Brazil. The network is led by a scientific steering committee composed of site principal investigators plus members of NIH and Brazilian Ministry of Health, who provide leadership, governance, and guidance to the consortium.
The current principal and co-investigators of RePORT Brazil are:
Timothy Sterling
MD, Nashville (RePORT PI)
Bruno Andrade
MD PhD, Salvador (RePORT PI and Biorepository Director)
Valeria Rolla
MD PhD, Rio de Janeiro (Co-Investigator)
Afrânio Kritski
MD PhD, Rio de Janeiro (Co-Investigator)
Marcelo Cordeiro Santos
MD PhD, Manaus (Co-Investigator)
Cristina Lourenço
Pharm., Rio de Janeiro (Microbiology Lab Director)
José Roberto Lapa e Silva
MD PhD, Rio de Janeiro (Consultant)
Anete Trajman
MD PhD, Rio de Janeiro (Consultant)
ReACT Program
As outlined in Specific Aim 3 of the recently renewed RePORT-Brazil Phase 2 grant (NIH U01AI172064-01), we launched the RePORT-Brazil Advanced Career Training (ReACT) program, which is designed to support the career development of early-stage Brazilian investigators. Under the guidance of experienced RePORT-Brazil TB investigators, each fellow is provided with pilot funding, and RePORT-Brazil data and/or specimens to address the scientific questions in their proposal.
A mentorship committee is formed for each ReACT investigator; the committee addresses investigator career growth, but also provides guidance in scientific fundamentals such as project management, analysis, and scientific writing. The program will be conducted in each of the 5 years of RePORT-Brazil Phase 2, with up to 4 awardees per year. In year 1, there were two awardees: Drs. Isabella Brige and Rodrigo Menezes.
Dr. Isabella Brige is a physician-scientist and Ph.D. student at the Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública. She is an active contributor to the Multinational Organization Network Sponsoring Translational and Epidemiological Research (MONSTER Initiative). Her research focuses on assessing the impact of non-adherence on tuberculosis treatment outcomes.
Rodrigo Menezes, M.D., Ph.D. performed his doctoral work in Human Pathology at the Federal University of Bahia/FIOCRUZ. He has also received training in clinical research through the Global Clinical Scholars Research Training program at Harvard Medical School. His project in RePORT-Brazil will evaluate the association between body mass index and M. tuberculosis infection risk among close TB contacts. He is also leading a line of research focused on critically ill patients at the Multinational Organization Network Sponsoring Translational and Epidemiological Research (MONSTER) in Salvador, Brazil.
What's new
Innovations in TB Healthcare
Innovations in TB HealthcareMoses Joloba: Dialogues on Academic Advancement, Laboratory Leadership, and Trailblazing Innovations in TB HealthcareMoses Joloba: Dialogues on Academic Advancement, Laboratory Leadership, and Trailblazing Innovations in TB HealthcareIn a...
Interview with Sudha Srinivasan
Interview with Sudha SrinivasanInterview with Sudha Srinivasan: A Legacy of Commitment, Collaboration, and Global Health ImpactThis is a summary of a conversation with Dr. Sudha Srinivasan, former Program Officer at the TB Clinical Research Branch at the Division of...
Highlighting Lab Trainees
Highlighting Laboratory TraineesAmsaveni Sivaprakasam (India) Gustiani Salim (Indonesia)John Carlo Malabad (Philippines)Prakash Babu (India) Ruby Anne N. King (Philippines)Amsaveni Sivaprakasam (India) has a Bachelor’s Degree in Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry...