Tuberculosis

Hossam Haick of Technion - Israel Institute of Technology in Israel is developing a sensing plaster that can be stuck on the chest to detect volatile biomarkers emitted through the skin for self-diagnosis of tuberculosis even at early stages. The presence of tuberculosis will be signaled by colored LEDs. In Phase I, they evaluated different materials and selected non-toxic nanomaterial-based sensors. They also performed a study of healthy people and tuberculosis patients and identified several candidate volatile compounds that could be detected by the sensors.

Firdausi Qadri of ICDDR,B in Bangladesh will attempt to develop an oral vaccine for tuberculosis that uses transgenic rice seeds to express recombinant antigenic proteins that will induce immunity not only in the gastrointestinal tract but also in the respiratory mucosa.

Dr. Robert Gilman of A.B. PRISMA in Peru proposes to develop a rapid method of evaluating treatment response to tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant TB by measuring exhaled nitric oxide. Preliminary data has shown that patients with MDR-TB exhibit elevated levels of FeNO, and identifying these patients early can lead to alternative treatments to reduce transmission.

Guozhi Wang of the National Institute for Control Pharmaceutical & Biological Products in China will assess the effectiveness of a new inexpensive skin test that can differentiate between true Tuberculosis infection and the markers of the BCG vaccination. Because the current TB screening protocol is not sensitive enough to tell the difference, this new test could lead to earlier and better treatment options for those with early-stage infections.

Jean-Laurent Casanova of The Rockefeller University in the U.S. seeks to identify single gene mutations that are critical to immunity against bacterial infections. By characterizing these mutations, Casanova could provide insight into a genetic basis for the susceptibility of some children to Tuberculosis, that could inform a recombinant IFN-y drug therapy.

Allison Ficht of Texas A&M Health Science Center in the U.S. will develop a new TB immunization delivery system based on the protein used by parasitic worms to seal their egg case. This "sticky coating" for nanoparticle vaccines could protect antigens during intranasal administration, affix them to the nasal mucosa and erode in a controlled way to slowly release antigens for enhanced immune response against tuberculosis.

Xilin Zhao of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey will test whether anaerobic gas, which causes rapid depletion of oxygen, will kill the tuberculosis bacteria without permanent damage to surrounding tissue.

Mark Schnitzer of Stanford University in the U.S. aims to develop miniature microscopes for reliable, low-cost point-of-care diagnosis of tuberculosis. These microscopes will be stand alone, digital diagnostic devices small enough to be carried in a health care provider's pocket or purse and will also be producible in large numbers.

John Fisk of Colorado State University in the U.S. will develop a phage particle that can detect a protein found in urine of active Tuberculosis patients. The two-sided phage particle will detect the presence of the TB protein and also trigger a signal that can be easily detectable.

Carol Holm-Hansen of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Norway, along with an international consortium of partners, seeks to develop a simple saliva-based assay test for the diagnosis of Tuberculosis. Serum samples from around the world will be collected to identify and select antigens that characterize the many strains of the bacteria for use in this new diagnostic method.