Thuong Thuong Nguyen

Professor Thuong received PhD training at OUCRU, Vietnam and postdoctoral training at Cornell University, USA in host genetics and cellular immunity in tuberculosis. She currently holds a Wellcome Trust International Intermediate Fellowship focused on linking human genotype and immunological phenotype to better understand TB pathogenesis using transcriptomics. She has been leading the Tuberculosis Research Group at OUCRU since 2015. The objectives of her group are to improve TB diagnosis and treatment by carrying out clinical trials of new diagnostic tests and therapeutic approaches. The group also aims to understand more about how genetic variations in both host and pathogen influence disease presentations, treatment response and outcomes.

The group’s major research interests:

Improving Treatment

TB meningitis is the most severe form of TB causing death or neurological disability in half of all cases. To improve treatment outcomes we have run clinical trials of modified anti-tuberculosis regimens and adjunctive anti-inflammatory drugs.

Host Genetics in Susceptibility and Treatment Response

Host immunity plays an important role in bacterial control and inflammatory response, which then lead to different outcomes. We aim to link human genotype and immunological phenotype before and during treatment and thus improve outcomes. We are conducting RNA-Seq to reveal the pathogenesis of different forms of TB.

Transmission, Resistance and Tolerance

We are using phylogenetic analysis of clinical isolates, together with cellular biology, to understand disease transmission and mechanisms of drug resistance and tolerance. We are also developing methods for rapid diagnosis of drug resistance using whole genome sequencing directly in clinical samples.