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Women in Science Mentoring Program (2020)
Post TB sequelae –Metabolic syndrome and the utility of plasma biomarkers in pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis patients from South India
PI: Priyadarshini Padaki, St. John's Medical College and Hospital, India
Project Dates: February 2022 - March 2024
Project Overview
 | | From left: Dr. Minu, Dr. Priyadarshini, Dr. Mamatha, and team mentor Dr. Rashmi |
This PEER project conducted a joint study on the occurrence of metabolic syndrome in patients with TB and sought to facilitate the diagnosis and improve the prognosis of both extrapulmonary TB (EPTB) and pulmonary TB (PTB) in South India. The main goals of the research included assessing the incidence of metabolic syndrome over a two-year period in newly-diagnosed TB patients; identifying differences in plasma biomarkers in diagnosis of EPTB vs PTB vs a control group; and assessing the role of plasma biomarkers as prognostic indicators in PTB and EPTB patients.
This project also supported mentoring of undergraduate medical students at St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, including training in research and proposal development and a scholarship program.
Final Summary of Project Activities
The researchers recruited 428 tuberculosis patient, monitoring their treatment adherence, clinical measurements required to diagnose metabolic syndrome, and outcomes every six months. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the Indian adult population is 30%, and the researchers theorize that the lower prevalence at baseline among TB patients could be attributed to weight loss and other metabolic changes in the body. Factors associated with TB could also explain changes at the one-year mark, indicating the need for regular follow up of tuberculosis patients at least for two years to screen for and prevent development of cardiovascular events.
In a separate study, the PEER team recruited 60 subjects, 25 with PTB, 35 with EPTB, and 30 control samples from healthy volunteers for analysis of biomarkers. The initial findings point to two biomarkers that could be suitable for assessing prognosis, but this study needs to be extended with analysis on a larger subset of TB patients.
The team conducted a half-day workshop on November 4, 2022, for undergraduate students with the focus on research skills, project proposal writing, and ethical concerns. A total of 18 students participated in the workshop. Following the workshop, the students were asked to submit brief concept notes on tuberculosis-related research. A total of 12 students were selected for a small scholarship to work on six different projects under the mentorship of senior PEER team members Dr. Minu Rose Mani, Dr. Priyadarshini Padaki, and Dr. Mamatha V. after obtaining ethical clearance.
Several manuscripts related to the PEER project are in the works. In addition, three of the research assistants working on the team have applied to doctoral programs in microbiology. The PEER team members have presented a variety of papers on their TB work at conferences like the 2023 International TB Conclave. In addition, one of the PEER team members, Dr. Mamatha V., is now the vice chair for Bangalore in the State Task Force for TB.
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