Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a leading cause of infectious disease mortality. The disease is curable with cost-effective drugs, yet there are serious challenges in its early detection, especially in high-burden settings with weak or fragmented healthcare systems. Multi-drug resistance is posing a growing problem, emblematic of the pressing issues around AMR more broadly. Meanwhile, interactions with other morbidities such as HIV and diabetes can threaten to derail TB control efforts. In low-burden countries, the challenge is targeting interventions to reach affected groups cost-effectively. In view of these issues, research for TB control demands a concerted effort, from basic science to more policy-focused research.

We contribute to these efforts through a range of research themes:

TB in high-burden settings

• Understanding the role of complex healthcare systems in TB transmission, with a focus on India - the country with the world's highest TB burden
• Policy-focused research addressing strategic priorities for Tb control, in the broader South-East Asian region
• From passive to active TB programmes: when is case-finding worth it?

TB in low-burden settings

• Priorities for countries approaching TB elimination
• Assessing the cost-effectiveness of different approaches to TB control, assist in planning interventions and evaluate interventions that have been applied

Molecular epidemiology of TB

• Use of whole-genome sequencing as a replacement for previous molecular typing
• Development of statistical methods to track transmission using genomic data