SPRINT-TB Annual Report 2016/2017

Just over two years since its founding, SPRINT-TB has grown into a major contributor to the global effort to improve tuberculosis treatment. This report reviews the advances achieved across the programme's four research themes and outlines the work that lies ahead.

SPRINT-TB research programme illustration — Research across four themes

Download Annual Report 2016/2017

Research Highlights of the Year

The year delivered encouraging progress across the whole programme, from early-stage compound discovery to fresh approaches for delivering treatment.

Theme 1: Target Discovery

Researchers identified promising new compounds, a notable advance in the hunt for new drug targets.

Theme 2: Drug Development

Medicinal chemistry efforts yielded several bortezomib derivatives that target a newly discovered site on the mycobacterium. These compounds kill the bacteria more selectively while producing less toxicity.

Theme 3: Clinical Trials

Our early-phase platform for testing new and repurposed TB drugs in humans — the whole blood bactericidal activity assay — was successfully applied to a range of repurposed drugs and combinations, including immune-based therapies. A key milestone was also achieved with the completion of our innovative trial of an anti-IL-4 monoclonal antibody used alongside TB treatment; analysis is under way and results were expected in mid-2017. In parallel, our flagship TRUNCATE-TB trial of a two-month regimen, with sites in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, is ready to begin recruitment after nearly three years of preparation.

Theme 4: Treatment Delivery

Our mobile app for remotely supervised therapy has been refined and is now entering field trials in several countries across the region.

Scientific Advisory Board Visit

A further highlight was the on-site visit by our Scientific Advisory Board in November 2016. Days of intensive discussion and review of our research gave the Board confidence in the scientific value and potential clinical impact of our current agenda, and yielded important new directions for strengthening our research portfolio in line with our scientific mission.

We hope you enjoy reading this report, and we welcome any new opportunity to work with you in the global effort to fight TB through research.

Previous Annual Report

The SPRINT-TB Annual Report 2015 is also available for readers who want to review earlier progress.

Download Annual Report 2015

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The annual report brings together the programme's work across target discovery, drug development, clinical trials and treatment delivery, alongside updates from the Scientific Advisory Board. It offers a concise way to follow how SPRINT-TB's research agenda has developed from one year to the next.