The TB Alliance was awarded a grant by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) last week to aid in the development of two new clinical stage tuberculosis drug candidates.
Development is being undertaken by partners at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, and Research Triangle Institute. The grant is a Center of Excellence in Translational Research (CETR) grant, which will be spaced out over five years. That grant will issue $5.5 million in the first year and reach a total of $28.4 million by 2024.
“Expanding the global portfolio of new TB drug candidates, from which we can assemble tomorrow’s shorter and simpler cures, is crucial in the fight against TB,” Dr. Mel Spigelman, president and CEO of TB Alliance, said. “We are excited to advance this work with our partners and grateful for NIAID’s support.”
Tuberculosis is the leading infectious cause of death throughout the world, responsible for the deaths of 1.6 million in 2017 alone. It is only worsening as drug resistance gains traction in the disease, and it is for that reason the Alliance will focus on the development of compounds that modulate protein production and degradation, to rapidly sterilize drug sensitive and multidrug-resistant TB strains.