Eradicating persistent M. tuberculosis by synthetic lethality of terminal respiratory oxidases

Narrative Current treatment regimens for tuberculosis are not efficient and do not eliminate dormant bacteria in the lungs of patients. This proposal will evaluate the therapeutic potential of inhibiting a metabolic pathway that is required for the survival of both active and dormant M. tuberculosis. We will identify inhibitors of two jointly essential enzymes in this metabolic pathway, with the goal of developing them into a highly active combination therapy against tuberculosis.