Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42481504›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Host-directed treatments for tuberculous meningitis utilizing a multi-platform approach across mouse and human models.

Carlos E Ruiz-Gonzalez, Medha Singh, Yuderleys Masias-Leon, Xueyi Chen, Mona O Sarhan, Yazmin B Martinez-Martinez, Sruti Patel, Madelynn Shambles, Andres Villabona-Rueda, Kadia Lissit and 11 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

21 authors.

Carlos E Ruiz-Gonzalez *Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Medha Singh *Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Yuderleys Masias-Leon *Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Xueyi ChenCenter for Tuberculosis Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1574-7759
Mona O SarhanDepartment of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Yazmin B Martinez-MartinezCenter for Tuberculosis Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID 0009-0009-9568-8998
Sruti PatelDepartment of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Madelynn ShamblesCenter for Tuberculosis Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Andres Villabona-RuedaDivision of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
Kadia LissitHuman iPSC Core for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Johns Hopkins Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
David TweedieTranslational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Michael T ScerbaTranslational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
William R BishaiCenter for Tuberculosis Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8734-4118
Dmitri ArtemovRussell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Jin-Chong XuHuman iPSC Core for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Johns Hopkins Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9519-9029
Franco D'AlessioDivision of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
Richard HafnerDivision of AIDS, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Nigel H GreigTranslational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3032-1468
Maura ManionOffice of the Clinical Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Irini SeretiDivision of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0076-0224
Sanjay K JainDepartment of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA. sanjay.jain@cchmc.org.ORCID 0000-0001-9620-7070

Funding

Research Education ComponentP30AG066507 · NIA · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI Corinne Pettigrew · 2020 to 2026
$29.3M
Preclinical modeling to study Tuberculous MeningitisR01AI145435 · NIAID · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI JAIN, SANJAY · 2020 to 2024
$4.0M
Measuring Intralesional Drug Exposures in Cavitary TB using Noninvasive In Vivo PET ImagingR01AI153349 · NIAID · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI JAIN, SANJAY · 2020 to 2024
$3.8M
7T Cryogen-Free Preclinical MRI for small animals to study infectious diseases in BSL-3 containmentS10OD030381 · OD · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI JAIN, SANJAY · 2022 to 2022
$1.7M
Pro-apoptotic Drugs as Host-Directed Treatments for Pulmonary Tuberculosis”R01AI190038 · NIAID · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI Sanjay K Jain · 2025 to 2026
$1.6M
Pro-apoptotic Drugs as Host-Directed Treatments for Pulmonary TuberculosisR56AI179012 · NIAID · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI JAIN, SANJAY · 2024 to 2024
$818k
NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI145435NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI153349NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI190038NIAID NIH HHS R56 AI179012NIA NIH HHS P30 AG066507NIH HHS S10 OD030381U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) R01-AI145435-A1U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) R01-AI153349U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) R01-AI190038U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) R56-AI179012-A1U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | NIH Office of the Director (OD) S10-OD030381-A1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Tuberculous meningitis (TB meningitis) is a major cause of death and neurological deficit despite recommended antibiotic and corticosteroid treatments, primarily due to dysregulated neuroinflammation. Here, we investigate a diverse panel of 12 immunomodulatory drugs as host-directed treatments (HDTs) for TB meningitis utilizing a cross-species framework comprising studies in a mouse model of TB meningitis with clinical endpoints, and parallel mechanistic studies in a newly developed immune-vascularized human brain organoid model of TB meningitis and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with TB meningitis. Imatinib, bestatin, roflumilast, palacaparib, thalidomide/pomalidomide and semaglutide outperform the current standard of care by reducing mortality and/or neurological deficits in mice via suppression of neuroinflammation. Importantly, these HDTs significantly reduce microglial activation in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected human brain organoids and attenuate proinflammatory cytokines, particularly IFNγ within CD4+ T-cells in patient-derived PBMCs. These findings highlight the potential of targeted HDTs to improve outcomes in TB meningitis and warrant clinical investigation.

Indexed as

Tuberculosis, MeningealAnimalsAntitubercular AgentsBrainCD4-Positive T-LymphocytesCytokinesDisease Models, AnimalFemaleHost-Directed TherapyHumansLeukocytes, MononuclearMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMycobacterium tuberculosisAntitubercular AgentsCytokines

Identifiers

PMID42481504
PMCPMC13389251

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.