Emily Henkle
Oregon Health & Science University, OR·Medicine & Clinical Research
Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are bacteria found in soil and water. They are relatives of the bacterium that causes tuberculosis.
- Fields
Medicine & Clinical Research
Public Health & Epidemiology
- Topics
nontuberculous mycobacteria
NTM pulmonary disease
Mycobacterium avium complex
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Jul 2028
What they work on
- Enroll three cohorts of patients with NTM lung disease, at diagnosis (NTM-WATCH), at treatment start (NTM-TREAT) and at treatment end (NTM-TRACK), and collect patient-reported outcomes and clinical data for up to 24 months.
- Measure cough rates and patterns objectively with a cough monitor to see how cough changes with disease activity and antibiotic treatment.
- Analyze how symptom, functioning and quality-of-life scores change over time, and test whether they track disease activity, treatment response, side effects and relapse after treatment.
More about the research
In some people, mostly older adults with existing lung damage such as bronchiectasis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, they cause a long-lasting lung infection that brings cough, extreme fatigue and shortness of breath. Treatment means taking 3–5 antibiotics for 18 months or more. It can be toxic and hard to tolerate, and about half of patients get sick again within three years. Doctors often cannot judge whether treatment is working because many patients cannot cough up sputum for testing. It is also unclear whether clearing the bacteria from lab cultures matters to how patients feel.
Why it matters
Older adults with NTM lung disease, an increasingly common rare disease, face long, harsh antibiotic courses and frequent relapse, and doctors have few objective ways to track how they are doing. Validated symptom questionnaires and cough monitoring could help clinicians decide when to start treatment, judge whether treatment is working or tolerated, and watch for recurrence. They could also give future trials outcomes that matter to patients.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
William DePas
University of Pittsburgh, PA·Microbiology & Immunology
Determine how the chemical environment of cystic fibrosis sputum regulates biofilm formation by nontuberculous mycobacteria and how biofilms affect antibiotic tolerance, using a new aggregation assay and MiPACT-HCR imaging.
Jonathan Singer
University of California-San Francisco, CA·Medicine & Clinical Research·Early-career
Determine how sarcopenic obesity, sarcopenia and high body fat affect perioperative complications and patient-reported outcomes at 6 months in 803 lung transplant candidates, with body composition measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis.
Sarah Miller
Medical University of South Carolina, SC·Medicine & Clinical Research
Test whether RESP-FIT, a home program of respiratory muscle strength training with a portable device and mobile health support, reduces shortness of breath in rural adults with COPD, using a randomized controlled trial against enhanced usual care.
The school
Oregon Health & Science University: 24 labs on PI Pages, $545M a year on research, 54 research doctorates a year.
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