Understanding the differences in the severity of tuberculosis as a key to find new treatments

Margarida Saraiva

  • PROJECT LEADER

    Margarida Saraiva

  • HOST ORGANIZATION,
    COUNTRY

    i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal

  • DESCRIPTION

    Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by a bacteria that results in 10 million new cases and 1.4 million deaths each year. There are patients who show severe forms of disease, while others present mild or moderate forms.

    The mechanisms underpinning these differences remain unknown, but it is thought that the interaction between the immune system and tuberculosis bacteria during the infection process play a role in determining the severity of the disease.

    The project investigates new immune therapies against the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, based on the dialogue between the pathogen and the patient's defences, especially those in play in the lungs.

  • PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

    • Iñaki Comas, Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Spain

    • Anne O'Garra, The Francis Crick Institute, United Kingdom

  • PROJECT TITLE

    A multidisciplinary approach to understand host and pathogen interactions to develop new strategies to target tuberculosis

  • BUDGET

    €998,404