A research team that includes Professor Greg Cook and Kiel Hards has made a discovery that could transform the way TB (tuberculosis) is treated. The team has recently published its findings in the leading international journal PNAS.
Their approach involves identifying new ways that the pathogen responsible for TB infection, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, could be targeted by drugs.
Professor Cook says, "We believe the key to beating TB is to discover what the key components of its physiology are that make this pathogen so stubborn to treatment by many TB drugs. During the course of his PhD work at Otago, Kiel Hards uncovered respiration as an essential component in allowing TB to avoid the action of new TB drugs."
Kiel's PhD thesis has been placed on the Health Sciences Divisional List of Exceptional Doctoral Theses, recognising the international significance of the research.
Read the media release on the University of Otago website
Read the article in the Otago Daily Times
