Recently, the tuberculosis research team led by Zhang Tianyu of the SKLRD worked with the team of Liu Jianxiong of Guangzhou Chest Hospital to carry out an in-depth research to jointly reveal the action mechanisms of the anti-TB new drug TB47. The research finding was published recently on the journal Nature Communications. And the paper “The Achilles' Heel Targeted by TB47 Is Protected in Select Mycobacteria” which was written by the research fellow Zhang Tianyu to the invitation of Nature Research Microbiology Community” was published in sync on the channel of “Behind the Paper” (https://go.nature.com/2Lp7wC5).

The research fruit preliminarily states the reason for the great difference in the action and roles of different mycobacteria. Through the preliminary toxicological test, it has proven that its toxicity is extremely low and the pharmacokinetics constant is very ideal, so it’s expected to become a special-effect drug for Buruli ulcer (BU) caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. At present, anti-TB candidate drug TB47 co-developed by the research team and the medicinal chemistry team has won patent authorization from China and America and entered the official research stage before clinical use (http://www.newtbdrugs.org/pipeline/discovery).