In 2018, around 1.5 million people died from tuberculosis (TB) — an infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs. A major obstacle in the clinical treatment of TB is the long therapy time required to clear the infection. An infected patient needs to take antibiotics for over 6 to 9 months to prevent a relapse — a duration so long that many discontinue their medications.

Tuberculosis, caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a leading cause of death worldwide. In 2017 alone, 10 million people across the globe were affected by the disease, and about 1.6 million succumbed to it.

This study, by researchers from Hungary, India, France and the USA, explored the potential of some new chemical compounds as therapeutic agents against tuberculosis. Such compounds represent new possibilities for further anti-TB drug development.

Scientists from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, study what effect tuberculosis has on the immune system of our body.