Research led by RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland) researchers has developed a new treatment for tuberculosis (TB).

 

This work could provide a practical treatment that has the potential to be scaled up and mass produced for clinical testing.

 

There is only one vaccine for tuberculosis that was developed in 1921. Prevention of the most common type of disease, namely tuberculosis, is not reliable and is not suitable for all patient groups.

 

This vaccine works better against certain types of TB and is usually given to at-risk infant populations.

 

Tuberculosis is one of the 10 leading causes of death worldwide. Information from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that 10 million people are infected with tuberculosis and 1.6 million people died from this disease in 2017.

 

WHO estimates that there are 558,000 new cases with resistance to the most effective first-line antibiotics. Of those that were drug resistant, 82% were resistant to multiple antibiotics.

 

This research was funded by the Health Research Journal (HRB) and the Royal Dublin Hospital Realization Centre. This research has been published in the European Journal of Pharmacy and Biopharmaceutics.

 

This work was led by Dr Gemma O'Conner and Professor Sally-Ann Cryan in collaboration with research teams at St James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin and Imperial College London.

 

Professor Joseph Keane and Dr Mary O'Sullivan led the team at St James's Hospital and Trinity College Dublin, and Dr Brian Robinson and Dr Nithya Krishnan led the team at Imperial College London.

 

Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is seen as a public health crisis and a security threat.

 

Ending the TB epidemic by 2030 is among the United Nations Sustainable Development Health Goals.

 

The pathogen that causes tuberculosis can be spread by people who inhale infected droplets through their lungs, where the disease can persist.

 

This research has been done using a derivative of vitamin A called trans-retinoic acid or atRA, which has been shown in previous studies to be an effective treatment for tuberculosis.

 

Professor Cryon, Associate Professor of Pharmacy at the RCSI School of Pharmacy and senior author of this study, says: "Many cases of tuberculosis are currently resistant to existing antibiotics. This new treatment can be used alongside antibiotics to treat drug-resistant tuberculosis and It also reduces the likelihood of antibiotic resistance developing through routine antibiotic treatments."

 

Using a dry spray process, the researchers package the atRA particles in a way that is safe for inhalation and small enough to be used as a spray.

 

These particles effectively treat and significantly reduce tuberculosis-causing bacteria and associated lung damage, which supports their potential for clinical testing.

 

"Unfortunately, TB remains a significant global health problem. We urgently need to achieve the United Nations' health goals by 2030," said Professor Keane, University of Medicine's School of Dentistry and Consultant Respiratory Physician at James Hospital. We need new novels like this.

 

Source: www.medicalxpress.com