Funded Programs

Impact of Vitamin D Supplementation on Host Immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Response to Treatment: Building Translational Research Capacity in Nutrition and Infectious Diseases in the Republic of Georgia

The Emory University School of Medicine and the Rollins School of Public Health are partnering with the Republic of Georgia National Tuberculosis Program (NTP), the National Center for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NCTBLD), and the Fogarty International Center of the NIH on a program to build capacity in the Republic of Georgia to conduct long-term translational/clinical research linking nutrition and infectious diseases in the Republic of Georgia. Worldwide the incidence and prevalence of both TB infection and vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency have reached epidemic proportions. In the Republic of Georgia, rates of TB infection, including multi-drug resistant TB, have increased markedly in recent years due to economic decline, poor living conditions, malnutrition, and the collapse of a national TB control program. This collaborative global health program will involve: 1) developing TB control infrastructure in Georgia; 2) conducting a randomized controlled trial of oral vitamin D therapy as a method to enhance the clinical efficacy of anti-TB drug therapy in Georgian patients with pulmonary TB; 3) leveraging existing NIH Fogarty International Center-funded training programs between the partners; and 4) developing grant applications to secure sustained funding. This program will foster existing collaborations between Emory and its Republic of Georgia partners and their attempts to better control TB and better treat patients who have already contracted it.

For more information, contact:
Thomas R. Ziegler, MD
Associate Professor
Emory University School of Medicine
Tzieg01@emory.edu