The Tuberculosis Laboratory is focused on understanding the basic biology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis (TB) in humans, and discovering novel molecular entities that can be used in the treatment of the disease. TB is one of the most infectious diseases in the world, killing around 1.5 million people per year, and is a threat to public health. The emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB is exerting pressure to develop new strategies for addressing the disease as we are running out of effective treatment options.

Using a unique cell-based phenotypic screening technology platform for drug discovery, the laboratory discovered Q203, a novel first-in-class clinical candidate for TB treatment that is highly effective against both MDR and XDR TB. Q203 has completed Phase 2a clinical trials in the U.S. and received an Orphan Drug Designation and Fast Track Designation by the FDA.

The Tuberculosis Research Laboratory focuses on:

• Developing cellular infection models to study host-pathogen interactions during latency
• Investigating drug mechanism of action to highlight relevant bacterial weaknesses
• Carrying out drug screening campaigns in order to discover new chemicals of interest to fight TB
• Exploring alternative libraries like natural products to discover new targets and innovative pathways against this disease
• Selecting the most promising molecules for drug development by testing their efficacy in animal models