Two new studies have cast unprecedented light on disease processes in tuberculosis, identifying key genetic changes that cause damage in the lungs and a drug treatment that could speed up recovery.
Tuberculosis (TB) is a lung infection that has killed more humans than any other and until last year was the top infectious killer around the world. Globally, an estimated 10 million people develop the disease each year.
The findings are reported in two papers in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, a high-profile journal reporting translational research.
In the first study, a team from the University of Southampton used a new 3D culture system they have developed to observe the changes that occur in cells infected with TB. Unlike the laboratory-standard 2D culture system, where cells are placed in a flat plastic dish, the 3D system uses an engineering technique to suspend them in droplets - like frogspawn. The team found that the TB-infected cells in droplets responded very closely to cells in the lungs of patients with the disease.
southampton.ac.uk/news/2021...
Journal of Clinical Investigation. Both Study Papers:
