Regulation From The Outside: Control Of Transport And Assembly Of Major Cell Wall Components In Mycobacteria
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$652,019.00
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) kills nearly two million people each year while the causative bacterial species, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, infects one-third of the entire human population. An alarmingly high rate of TB exists in Australia's indigenous population. This proposal aims to identify and characterise essential processes that regulate synthesis of the outer coat of the bacterium, which are potential targets for new drugs for the treatment of this devastating disease.
Investigating The Mechanisms Of Regulation Of Mycobacterial Cell Wall Biosynthesis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$597,349.00
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) kills around two million people each year while the causative bacterial species, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, infects one-third of the entire human population. An alarmingly high rate of TB exists in Australia's indigenous population. This proposal aims to identify and characterise essential processes involved in synthesis of the outer coat of the bacterium which are potential targets for new drugs for the treatment of this devastating disease.
Molecular Mechanisms Of Persistence Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$398,142.00
Summary
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB. It infects about third of all people in the world and kills several million people each year. People with active TB spread the mycobacteria in aerosols from their breath. When another person inhales an infected aerosol the mycobacteria enter their lungs and establish a new infection. During the course of infection M. tuberculosis is exposed to a variety of harsh environments inside the lungs which normally kill other bacte ....Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB. It infects about third of all people in the world and kills several million people each year. People with active TB spread the mycobacteria in aerosols from their breath. When another person inhales an infected aerosol the mycobacteria enter their lungs and establish a new infection. During the course of infection M. tuberculosis is exposed to a variety of harsh environments inside the lungs which normally kill other bacteria. M. tuberculosis is able to survive and adapt to those harsh environments. M. tuberculosis has an especially thick and tough cell wall which protects it. M. tuberculosis can adapt to the environments it encounters in a patient by changing their cell walls. The wall also protects mycobacteria from chemicals so it is resistant to many common antibiotics. There are some drugs to treat TB however M. tuberculosis is building up resistance to those drugs so we need to find new ones We will determine how mycobacteria synthesize their special cell wall and how they adapt during an infection. If we know how the details of how M. tuberculosis protects itself then we can find potential weakness which could be targets for the development of new drugs to treat TB.Read moreRead less