Finding new medicines that block key functions of the tuberculosis bacterium
Identification of new inhibitors of essential functions in M. tuberculosis by high-throughput metabolic profiling
Researchers are using advanced lab methods to find drugs that stop the bacteria causing tuberculosis, aiming to help people with drug-resistant TB.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Albert Einstein College of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Bronx, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11221399 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will study Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the lab using gene editing (CRISPR) and broad chemical fingerprinting (non-targeted metabolomics) to see how the bacteria respond to many compounds. They will compare the metabolic changes caused by turning off essential bacterial genes with changes caused by drug exposure to infer each compound's mechanism. The team plans to functionally annotate about 500 anti-TB compounds that are active but whose modes of action are unknown, using custom computational tools to match drug effects to biological pathways. This large-scale approach is intended to speed discovery of new drug targets and unconventional ways to kill TB bacteria.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: The eventual treatments from this research would be most relevant to people with active, drug-resistant tuberculosis who need new antibiotic options.
Not a fit: People without TB, those with latent TB infection, or patients whose illness is caused by other pathogens are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new antibiotics or targets that improve treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis.
How similar studies have performed: Related lab approaches combining CRISPR and metabolomics have revealed drug actions in bacteria, but applying them at this high-throughput scale to hundreds of TB compounds is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Bronx, United States
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine — Bronx, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Berney, Michael — Albert Einstein College of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Berney, Michael
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.