Publications

Lesion Penetration and Activity Limit the Utility of Second-Line Injectable Agents in Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

Date Published: September 17, 2021
Amikacin and kanamycin are second-line injectables used in the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) based on the clinical utility of streptomycin, another aminoglycoside and first-line anti-TB drug. While streptomycin was tested as a single agent in the first controlled TB clinical trial, introduction of amikacin and kanamycin into MDR-TB regimens…

Single cell analysis of M. tuberculosis phenotype and macrophage lineages in the infected lung.

Date Published: September 6, 2021
In this study, we detail a novel approach that combines bacterial fitness fluorescent reporter strains with scRNA-seq to simultaneously acquire the host transcriptome, surface marker expression, and bacterial phenotype for each infected cell. This approach facilitates the dissection of the functional heterogeneity of M. tuberculosis-infected alveolar (AMs) and interstitial macrophages…

Genetic models of latent tuberculosis in mice reveal differential influence of adaptive immunity.

Date Published: September 6, 2021
Studying latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection has been limited by the lack of a suitable mouse model. We discovered that transient depletion of biotin protein ligase (BPL) and thioredoxin reductase (TrxB2) results in latent infections during which Mtb cannot be detected but that relapse in a subset of mice. The…

Pharmacokinetics and Target Attainment of SQ109 in Plasma and Human-Like Tuberculosis Lesions in Rabbits.

Date Published: August 17, 2021
SQ109 is a novel well-tolerated drug candidate in clinical development for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). It is the only inhibitor of the MmpL3 mycolic acid transporter in clinical development. No SQ109-resistant mutant has been directly isolated thus far , in mice, or in patients, which is tentatively attributed…

Structure, Detection, and Antibacterial Activity of Metabolites of SQ109, an Anti-Infective Drug Candidate.

Date Published: August 13, 2021
SQ109 is a drug candidate for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). It is thought to target primarily the protein MmpL3 in , but it also inhibits the growth of some other bacteria. SQ109 is metabolized by the liver, and it has been proposed that some of its metabolites might be…

Rv0684/, an Essential Gene, Is the Target of Fusidic Acid and Its Derivatives in .

Date Published: August 13, 2021
Tuberculosis (TB), caused by , is a major global health concern given the increase in multiple forms of drug-resistant TB. This underscores the importance of a continuous pipeline of new anti-TB agents. Drug repurposing has shown promise in expanding the therapeutic options for TB chemotherapy. Fusidic acid (FA), a natural…

The Tuberculosis Drug Accelerator at year 10: what have we learned?

Date Published: August 1, 2021
The Tuberculosis Drug Accelerator, an experiment designed to facilitate collaboration in TB drug discovery by breaking down barriers among competing labs and institutions, has reached the 10-year landmark. We review the consortium’s achievements, advantages and limitations and advocate for application of similar models to other diseases.
Courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine