Lay summary
Tuberculosis remains a leading cause of death from infectious diseases worldwide and the spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis threatens to return us to the pre-antibiotic era for this disease. However, a game changer in combatting TB has arisen from work showing that a tuberculosis protein called bd oxidase is central to allowing this bacterium to survive during latent infection as well as under antibiotic treatment. Evidence has emerged that inhibiting bd oxidase during anti-tuberculosis therapy could allow for the rapid elimination of TB - over weeks rather than many months, as currently required. We will employ a multi-disciplinary approach comprising molecular microbiology, medicinal chemistry and the recent high-resolution Mycobacterium tuberculosis bd oxidase structure from our research team to identify and speed the development of bd oxidase inhibitors. Our findings may ultimately lead to a new class of anti-tuberculosis compounds and to a rapid cure for this ancient and deadly disease.