School of Medicine is one of 20 worldwide research sites to receive funding from CDC
John L. Johnson, M.D., Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and pulmonologist at University Hospitals Case Medical Center has been awarded a 10 year, $19.7M contract from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an international clinical trials site for the Tuberculosis Trials Consortium (TBTC). TBTC, established in 1993, is a partnership of U.S. and international clinical investigators who conduct research about the diagnosis, medical treatment, and prevention of tuberculosis (TB) infection and disease.
As the principal investigator, Dr. Johnson will lead two research teams in the testing of new drugs and shorter and simpler regimens for the treatment of TB that will benefit patients worldwide.
Case Western Reserve School of Medicine will oversee international trial sites in Uganda and the Philippines. Roy Mugerwa, MBChB, MMed, will lead the TBTC site at the Uganda-CWRU Research Collaboration in Kampala, Uganda, globally, one of the most productive centers for TB research. The contract also supports the addition of a new trial site at the Tropical Disease Foundation in Makati City, Philippines, which will be under the direction of Thelma E. Tupasi, M.D. The two sites will enroll patients for clinical trials and substudies conducted by the TBTC; in addition to participating in working groups, committees and protocol teams of the Consortium; and other work to improve TB treatment for patients and TB control programs worldwide. Finally, Kathleen Eisenach, Ph.D., University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, will provide microbiology consulting.