SPRINT-TB: Better Tuberculosis Treatments Through Research
Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world's most serious high-burden infectious diseases, standing alongside HIV, with about 9 million cases and 1.5 million deaths every year. Asia bears a particularly heavy burden, making up 59% of global TB cases. SPRINT-TB — the Singapore Programme of Research Investigating New Approaches to Treatment of Tuberculosis — exists to develop improved, more effective TB treatments.
Since its launch in 2014, the programme has spanned the entire research pathway, from mycobacterial target discovery and drug development through to clinical trials and treatment delivery. SPRINT-TB is based at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and collaborates with academic and industry partners in Singapore, Asia, Europe and the USA. A Scientific Advisory Board oversees the programme.
Programme Lead: Prof. Nicholas Paton
Four Bench-to-Bedside Research Themes
SPRINT-TB brings together more than 30 research projects, organised into four sequential research themes:
- Theme 1: Bacterial Target Discovery — Lead: A/Prof. Thomas Dick
- Theme 2: Drug Development — Lead: Prof. Alex Matter
- Theme 3: Clinical Trials — Lead: Prof. Nick Paton
- Theme 4: Treatment Delivery — Lead: Prof. Nick Paton
What the Programme Sets Out to Achieve
- Identify new genes that are essential for mycobacterial dormancy
- Uncover new chemically-validated dormancy targets
- Find new clinical candidate compounds with activity against TB
- Pinpoint innovations in the standard TB drug development process — pre-clinical or clinical — that speed up or improve evaluation of new compounds or combination regimens
- Assess new or re-purposed antibacterial drugs that could shorten treatment regimens
- Assess new or re-purposed immune-modulatory drugs that could shorten treatment regimens
- Determine an effective shorter drug regimen for drug-sensitive TB
- Identify improvements to TB treatment delivery systems that boost adherence and/or clinical outcomes
- Build an Asian TB trials and clinical research network
Discover More About SPRINT-TB
Find out more about our research themes and the wider programme:
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Copyright © 2014-2017 SPRINT-TB. All Rights Reserved.
SPRINT-TB's work links laboratory science to patient care, connecting target discovery and drug development with clinical trials and treatment delivery. By coordinating projects across these four themes, the programme aims to shorten treatment regimens, improve adherence and build a stronger TB clinical research network across Asia.