Alternative Approaches to Tackle Antibiotic Resistance in Tuberculosis (TB)

Dear Colleagues,

The COVID-19 pandemic has set back the progress made on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). It was recently reported that nearly 1.5 million people have died due to drug-resistant infections, and for the first time in a decade, there has been an increase in tuberculosis (TB)-related deaths. Without urgent re-focus, we risk slowing down drug discovery and the provision of new treatments for drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and pathogenic non-tubercular mycobacteria (NTM). Unique in their immune evasion, dormancy, and resuscitation, the causal pathogens of TB and NTM have demonstrated extreme resistance to antibiotics. HIV-TB co-infections further exacerbate the TB epidemic, with more than 200,000 deaths occurring amongst HIV-positive patients every year. Therefore, the development of more efficient combination regimens must be urgently accelerated.  

In this Special Issue, we highlight international research that improves our ability to bring this universal goal closer to reality. We share examples of the application of modern technological advances that optimise high-throughput screening approaches, novel strategies to improve the hit rates of compounds that show promise in vitro and retain activity in the infected host environment, novel medicinal chemical approaches to identifying small-molecule inhibitors, and finally key progress in revealing new essential or virulence targets for pharmacological intervention through an improved understanding of the basic biological processes that different pathogens use to cause disease, among other topics. 

We invite manuscript submissions that further our understanding of antimicrobial resistance within the Mtb complex as well as infection caused by NTM and areas of leading research highlighting alternative approaches to tackling extensive drug resistance in the TB-causing bacilli. Submissions on investigative preclinical research outcomes considering the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, refinement) in laboratory practice are especially encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Sanjib Bhakta
Dr. Sam Willcocks
Dr. Dimitrios Evangelopoulos
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• tuberculosis
• antibiotic resistance
• 3Rs
• Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• non-tubercular mycobacteria/NTM
• repurposing
• alternative models and methods in drug discovery
• accelerating drug development