Page 81 - SAMRC Annual Report 2023-24

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

HIV-TB Pathogenesis and
Treatment Research Unit

Unit director:
Prof. Salim S. Abdool Karim

Prioritising responsive research culture conversion; and higher monocytes and

through impactful interventions dendritic cells in TB/HIV co-infection and linked to
cavitation and delayed culture conversion. Goal (6)
CAPRISA's goals incorporate research and Impacting policies and practices to reduce the dual
implementation efforts to combat TB, HIV, and burden of the HIV and TB epidemics:
COVID-19, to improve health outcomes of
affected individuals. Goal (1) Reduction in DR-TB The unit engaged, contributed, or participated
mortality and improved therapeutic outcomes: in keynote addresses, presentations and policy
The TRiAD and ADAP-TIV Studies seek to reduce discussions involving key stakeholders in private and
mortality and enhance therapeutic outcomes in public sectors.
DR-TB patients through expedited diagnosis and
optimised treatment support. Goal (2) Finding and Equitable capacity development
Preventing Tuberculosis: The TARGET TB study aims for empowering communities
to identify TB transmission hotspots for effective
TB screening. Goal (3) Implementation Science CAPRISA, through its multifaceted initiatives, is
Research to mitigate individual and public health actively promoting equity through its Employment
burden of SARS-COV-2: Our studies identified rapid Equity Committee and it has obtained clean audits
diagnostic tests for early virus variant detection, for three consecutive years. The unit is engaged
demonstrating effectiveness in recognising delta, in building research capacity, graduating five PhD
beta, and omicron strains during these pandemic students in 2023-2024 and ongoing supervision of two
phases; and developed a visualisation framework additional students. Additionally, the organisation
to understand Long-COVID for improved research hosts five postdoctoral research fellows.
and clinical comprehension. Goal (4) Improving HIV- Staff development remains a priority, with numerous
TB co-infected patient survival through treatment employees pursuing higher degrees with some
optimisation: The INSIGHT trial evaluates the funded internally through UKZN and CAPRISA.
efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of Bictegravir- Importantly, staff and CAPRISA fellows graduating
based treatment for HIV patients undergoing DS-TB with higher degrees in the 2023/2024 graduation
treatment. Bictegravir has a high barrier to resistance cycle include five masters, eight honours and two
and is co-formulated with emtricitabine and has post-graduate diplomas. A further four masters'
a safer long-term bone and kidney health profile fellows are awaiting results.
compared to current ART. Goal (5) TB pathogenesis
among PLWHA: Our studies found an association CAPRISA has been undertaking an annual clinical
between high IL-6 levels and lung cavitation; trials capacity-building programme for graduate
expansion of dysfunctional CD56neg subsets in TB/ interns since 2023.The aim of the programme was to
HIV co-infection, CD56bright cells linked to delayed allow unemployed graduates to receive a 12-month

SAMRC ANNUAL REPOR T 2023-24 79