Intervening along the spectrum of tuberculosis: meeting report from the World TB Day nanosymposium in the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine at the University of Cape Town

Abstract

Tuberculosis, caused by the highly infectious Mycobacterium tuberculosis, remains a leading cause of death worldwide, with an estimated 1.6 million associated deaths reported in 2017. In South Africa, an estimated 322,000 people were infected with TB in 2017, and a quarter of them lost their lives due to the disease. Bacille Calmette-Guérin remains the only effective vaccine against disseminated TB, but its inability to confer complete protection against pulmonary TB in adolescents and adults calls for an urgent need to develop new and better vaccines. There is also a need to identify markers of disease protection and develop novel drugs. On March 25th 2019, the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine at the University of Cape Town hosted the second annual World TB Day nanosymposium. The theme of the nanosymposium was “Intervening across the spectrum of TB II” and the goal was to commemorate World TB Day by showcasing research insights shared by early-career scientists and researchers in the field. The speakers spoke on four broad topics: identification of novel drug targets, development of host-directed drug therapies, transmission of tuberculosis and immunology of TB/HIV co-infections. Assistant Professor Bryan Bryson gave a highly interesting keynote address that showcased the application of engineering tools to answer fundamental biological questions, particularly in the context of tuberculosis.