Using genetics to tackle tuberculosis
In a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, UK scientists have revealed a faster, more accurate way of diagnosing and treating tuberculosis (TB), using DNA sequencing.
About
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UK researchers prove for the first time that DNA sequencing is accurate enough to guide tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment
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This new approach could help identify the most appropriate drug for each patient
- Moving from traditional treatment methods to a more accurate genetics-based approach could improve cure rates and stop the spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis
September 27, Hinxton – In a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, UK scientists have revealed a faster, more accurate way of diagnosing and treating tuberculosis (TB), using DNA sequencing. For the first time, the researchers proved that DNA sequencing technologies are accurate enough to predict which commonly used anti-TB drugs are most suitable for treating a specific patient.
Tuberculosis remains the world’s biggest infectious disease killer, claiming 1.7 million lives in 2016. The number of drug-resistant TB cases is rising, making it very complicated to identify the right treatment for each patient. By sequencing the TB bacteria from patients, clinicians could predict which of the commonly used anti-TB drugs are the best treatment option.
The study is a collaboration led by the CRyPTIC consortium based at the University of Oxford and facilitated by the United Kingdom government’s 100 000 Genomes Project. The recent study also received support from EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), and other collaborators.
“This study is part of a much wider international effort to improve the way we treat tuberculosis,” explains Zamin Iqbal, Research Group Leader at EMBL-EBI and paper author. “This is an important step because it could mark a shift towards a genetics-based approach to the disease, which could guide treatment decisions and in turn result in saving a lot of lives.”
Read more about the project on the Oxford Biomedical Genomics Research Centre website.
Source article
ALLIX-BÉGUEC, C., et al. (2018). Prediction of susceptibility to first-line tuberculosis drugs by DNA sequencing. New England Journal of Medicine. Published online 25 09; DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1800474
The paper findings were announced at the United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting on tuberculosis.
