The rapid emergence of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) has emphasized the need for anti-tuberculosis drugs that act in novel ways against the pathogen. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded Michael Berney, Ph.D., a five-year, $3.2 million grant to identify new drugs that work by targeting essential functions of Mtb.

To evaluate potential drug candidates, Dr. Berney and his collaborator Dr. Mattia Zampieri at the University of Basel, Switzerland have developed high-throughput metabolic profiling for Mtb —a computational and experimental strategy that functionally annotates Mtb inhibitors by comparing genetic and drug induced metabolic effects. The scientists plan to characterize more than 500 anti-tuberculosis compounds that are known to be potent against Mtb but whose modes of action are unknown. This research will create a database on Mtb gene–drug–metabolic interactions and provide a foundation for developing new drugs to eradicate tuberculosis.

Dr. Berney is an associate professor of microbiology & immunology at Einstein. (1R01AI173328-01)