BOSTON – New research from Boston Medical Center found that people living with HIV that have had pulmonary tuberculosis had broader and more potent HIV antibody responses and differences in HIV sequences predicted to be antibody resistant as compared to those without suspected or documented tuberculosis. Published in iScience, the study suggests that concomitant tuberculosis disease has a significant impact on HIV immune responses and the viruses circulating in people living with HIV.

(Boston) - Boston Medical Center (BMC) has been awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate why Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (MTB) affects individuals so differently. The grant, worth up to $21 million over seven years, will allow researchers at BMC, Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH), to identify the biological factors, or biomarkers, that indicate whether a person infected with the bacteria that causes tuberculosis (TB) is likely to develop symptoms of the disease in their lifetime or will be cured by treatment. The ultimate goal of this research is to develop new tools for more effective prevention and treatment of TB.