Tools to reveal how tuberculosis bacteria protect their outer shell
Chemical Probes of Mycobacteria
Scientists are making glowing chemical tags to show how tuberculosis bacteria build and change their protective cell envelope, helping guide future treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cambridge, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11307610 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you have tuberculosis, this work aims to make new chemical probes—special molecules that attach to parts of the TB bacterium's outer layer so researchers can see them. The team will create probes that highlight specific sugars and lipid components of the mycobacterial cell wall, including lipoarabinomannan (LAM) and MTX-capped LAM. They will use a fluorogenic probe to watch how the cell envelope changes in real time during antibiotic exposure or when bacteria enter immune cells. Learning these patterns could point to weak spots the bacteria use to survive and suggest targets for new antibiotics.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with active or latent tuberculosis, or people willing to donate sputum or blood samples for laboratory study, would be most relevant to this project.
Not a fit: People without mycobacterial infections or those seeking immediate treatment are unlikely to gain direct clinical benefit from this laboratory-focused work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could identify vulnerabilities in TB bacteria that lead to new antibiotics or better ways to make existing drugs work.
How similar studies have performed: Related chemical-labeling methods have successfully visualized bacterial cell walls in lab studies, but applying these probes to M. tuberculosis's complex envelope is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Cambridge, United States
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Cambridge, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kiessling, Laura L — Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Study coordinator: Kiessling, Laura L
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.