On 18 Oct, 2016, Institut Pasteur Korea (IPK) and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH) signed an agreement for joint research and collaboration activities focused on the use of photodynamic therapy against drug-resistant tuberculosis.
 
While Korea has drastically reduced the burden of tuberculosis, controlling this disease remains challenging. According to 2016 WHO data*, rate of prevalence, incidence, and death due to tuberculosis, between 2012 and 2014 gradually decreased, however, Korea still ranks at the top among OECD countries.
 
Additionally, there is a rise of drug-resistant tuberculosis. While the appearance of drug-resistant strains of microorganisms is a natural phenomenon, the speed at which it occurs for tuberculosis is a serious worldwide public health concern. Drug resistance happens due to drugs being misused by patients or mismanaged by physicians. Drug-resistant tuberculosis is present in all parts of the world.
 
Dr. Vincent Delorme, Group Leader, IPK Tuberculosis Research Laboratory, says, “Photodynamic therapy is an elegant way to eradicate bacteria without the requirements of drugs, thus minimizing the possibility of resistance while increasing the patient’s comfort. Our aim is to determine conditions for an efficient sterilization in vitro, then to focus on a realistic application in vivo. This project may bring real changes in the way tuberculosis is treated in the future.”











*Estimated tuberculosis cases and deaths (WHO, 2016) (Source: Korea National Tuberculosis Association)

**Global tuberculosis repoart 2016 (Source: WHO)