mexTB

PIs: Isabelle Suárez, Jan Rybniker (Cologne)

The mEX-TB study is a prospective, multicenter cohort and biomarker study aimed at improving the care of patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB).

While pulmonary tuberculosis remains the most prevalent form of the disease, approximately 24% of tuberculosis cases diagnosed in Germany involve extrapulmonary organs, according to the 2023 RKI report. Diagnosing and treating EPTB may pose distinct challenges due to its varied clinical presentations, nonspecific symptoms, and paradoxical reactions during the course of treatment.

The goal of this three-year DZIF-funded study is to facilitate a biomarker-based treatment approach for EPTB patients. This will be achieved by identifying biomarkers associated with EPTB and determining risk factors that contribute to the development of EPTB. To achieve these objectives, clinical data and patient samples from EPTB patients are being systematically collected, analyzed, and evaluated at six DZIF study sites in Germany: Bonn, Borstel, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Heidelberg, and Cologne.

The study, conducted under the leadership of DZIF researchers Priv.-Doz. Dr. Isabelle Suárez and Prof. Dr. Jan Rybniker at the University Hospital Cologne (UHC), aims to contribute to the improved diagnosis and treatment of EPTB not only in Germany but worldwide. It is a continuation of the monocentric DZIF-funded pilot study (EX-TB study) that has been running at UHC since 2018.

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