Our research
Our research focuses on host immune responses during different stages of TB infection and treatment, as well as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, using biobank material and clinical data from the TB Quality Registry at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Oslo University Hospital (OUH), Ullevål.
Our overall aim is to improve TB diagnostics, facilitate personalized treatment strategies, and reduce unnecessary isolation and treatment duration.
We are active partners in national and international research networks and participate in clinical, translational, and epidemiological studies through the European TB research network TBnet.
Projects
We have several ongoing projects.
Prognostic Value of Immunological Biomarkers in Mycobacterial Infections
We have an ongoing prospective observational cohort of patients with TB, supported by a longitudinal biobank and a dedicated clinical TB quality registry.
This translational research project investigates immune mechanisms underlying disease progression and identifies biomarkers associated with different stages of TB infection and treatment response.
This work has contributed to several PhD projects and is conducted in close collaboration with international partners, including Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
TBCOX2 - Therapeutic vaccination and immune modulation -new treatment strategies for the multidrug-resistant tuberculosis pandemic. An open label phase I clinical trial of the therapeutic TB H56:IC31 vaccine and cyclooxygenase-inhibitors
We conducted a Norwegian phase I/II clinical trial evaluating the therapeutic TB vaccine H56:IC31 in combination with a cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor in patients with active TB.
Our results demonstrated that the vaccine was safe and induced robust T-cell responses, supporting its potential use as a therapeutic vaccine within a personalized treatment strategy.
Together with collaborators at Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), we continue to investigate immune mechanisms, biosignatures, and the immunomodulatory effects of COX-2 inhibition during TB treatment.
Read more at U.S. Library of Medicine - ClinicalTrials ID: NCT02503839.
SMA-TB - a novel Stratified Medicine Algorithm to predict treatment responses to host-directed therapy in Tuberculosis patients
CIRG is a partner in this EU-funded multicentre project aimed at developing a stratified medicine algorithm by integrating transcriptomic, proteomic, immunology and clinical data, to identify TB patients most likely to benefit from host-directed therapies.
Using samples from a phase II clinical trial performed in South Africa and Georgia, we investigate immune profiles and biomarkers associated with treatment response in patients receiving adjunctive aspirin and ibuprofen in addition to standard anti-tuberculosis therapy.
Read more at U.S. Library of Medicine - ClinicalTrials ID: NCT04575519.
FeRTBisol -Reducing patient harm in TB care by safe and timely de-isolation
We are planning a prospective study evaluating the Tuberculosis Molecular Bacterial Load Assay (TB-MBLA) in patients receiving treatment for pulmonary TB at the Dep. of Infectious Diseases, OUH.
The primary objective is to determine whether TB-MBLA can replace current isolation monitoring procedures and support earlier and safer de-isolation of patients with pulmonary TB.
In parallel, we aim to identify molecular biosignatures associated with treatment response.
The project will also assess the impact of isolation on patients using Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs). The results may contribute to reducing both the duration and burden of isolation.
SEELinTB - A Pilot Study for Safe and Effective Linezolid Dosing in Tuberculosis
SEELinTB is a pragmatic prospective observational study of patients admitted to the Dep. of Infectious Diseases at OUH who receive linezolid-containing treatment regimens due to rifampicin resistance or intolerance.
The overall objective is to establish therapeutic drug monitoring approaches and pharmacokinetic models for individualized linezolid dosing.
By optimizing drug exposure, the project aims to reduce the risk of adverse events while maintaining treatment efficacy.
Selected publications
- CD4+ T cell markers associated with Treatment Outcomes in Tuberculosis: A Sub-analysis of a Phase IIB Trial of Acetylsalicylic acid and Ibuprofen as Adjunctive Therapy. Alonso-Rodríguez N, Edlund IH, Aass HCD, Sopegno C, Farrés J, Gogichadze N, Arias L, Fonseca KL, Otwombe K, Waja Z, Moloantoa T, Pillay N, Seiphetlo T, Martinson N, Vilaplana C, Dyrhol-Riise AM. J Infect Dis. 2026 Jul 29:jiag380. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiag380.
- Diagnostic accuracy and predictive value of the QuantiFERON-TB gold plus assay for tuberculosis in immunocompromised individuals: a prospective TBnet study. Sester M, Altet-Gomez N, Andersen ÅB, Arias-Guillén M, Avsar K, Bakken Kran AM, Bothamley G, Nordholm Breschel AC, Brown J, Chesov D, Ciobanu N, Cirillo DM, Crudu V, de Souza Galvao M, Dilektasli AG, Dominguez J, Duarte R, Dyrhol-Riise AM, Goletti D, Hoffmann H, Ibraim E, Kalsdorf B, Krawczyk M, Kunst H, Lange B, Lipman M, Matteelli A, Milkiewicz P, Neyer D, Nitschke M, Oral HB, Palacios-Gutiérrez JJ, Petruccioli E, Raszeja-Wyszomirska J, Ravn P, Rupp J, Spohn HE, Toader C, Villar-Hernandez R, Wagner D, van Leth F, Martinez L, Pedersen OS, Lange C. Lancet Reg Health Eur. 2025 Aug 6;57:101416. doi: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2025.101416. eCollection 2025 Oct.
- Whole blood RNA signatures in tuberculosis patients receiving H56:IC31 vaccine as adjunctive therapy. Alonso-Rodríguez N, Vianello E, van Veen S, Jenum S, Tonby K, van Riessen R, Lai X, Mortensen R, Ottenhoff THM, Dyrhol-Riise AM. Front Immunol. 2024 Feb 16;15:1350593. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1350593. eCollection 2024.
- The Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitor Etoricoxib as Adjunctive Therapy in Tuberculosis Impairs Macrophage Control of Mycobacterial Growth. Nore KG, Louet C, Bugge M, Gidon A, Jørgensen MJ, Jenum S, Dyrhol-Riise AM, Tonby K, Flo TH. J Infect Dis. 2024 Mar 14;229(3):888-897. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiad390.
- Utility of a three-gene transcriptomic signature in the diagnosis of tuberculosis in a low-endemic hospital setting. Chendi BH, Jooste T, Scriba TJ, Kidd M, Mendelsohn S, Tonby K, Walzl G, Dyrhol-Riise AM, Chegou NN. Infect Dis (Lond). 2023 Jan;55(1):44-54. doi: 10.1080/23744235.2022.2129779. Epub 2022 Oct 10.
- A Phase I/II randomized trial of H56:IC31 vaccination and adjunctive cyclooxygenase-2-inhibitor treatment in tuberculosis patients. Jenum S, Tonby K, Rueegg CS, Rühwald M, Kristiansen MP, Bang P, Olsen IC, Sellæg K, Røstad K, Mustafa T, Taskén K, Kvale D, Mortensen R, Dyrhol-Riise AM. Nat Commun. 2021 Nov 22;12(1):6774. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-27029-6..
