2nd International Virtual Conference on Frontiers in TB & Mycobacteriology | March 2–3, 2026 | Online
Chaired by Sanjib Bhakta (Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, UCL and Birkbeck, University of London, UK), this session addresses one of the most pressing challenges in tuberculosis control: the emergence of drug resistance and the urgent need for new, effective antibiotics. Bringing together leading experts across academia and translational research, the session offers a comprehensive overview of how innovative science is reshaping TB drug discovery.
The session will feature Anil Koul (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, U. of London, UK) presenting the discovery of JNJ6640, a next-generation TB antibiotic with the potential to move beyond current bedaquiline-based therapies. Dirk Lamprecht (Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D), University of Cape Town, South Africa) will highlight how targeting de novo purine biosynthesis reveals exploitable metabolic vulnerabilities in 𝘔𝘺𝘤𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘵𝘶𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘴. Hedia Marrakchi (CNRS – University of Toulouse, France) will demonstrate how revisiting and optimizing legacy chemical scaffolds can generate new antituberculosis drug candidates using modern approaches.
Further perspectives include Anthony Baughn (University of Minnesota, USA), who will discuss the repurposing of an antiviral nucleotide analog for TB drug discovery, and Joel Freundlich (Rutgers University, USA), who will present recent advances in KasA inhibitors targeting mycolic acid biosynthesis. The session will conclude with Kyle Rohde (University of Central Florida, USA), who will showcase how halogenated phenazines kill both replicating and dormant mycobacteria through complex mechanisms that limit resistance emergence.
Together, this session highlights how integrated approaches spanning biology, chemistry, and translational science are driving the next generation of TB therapeutics and offering new hope in the fight against drug-resistant tuberculosis.
This conference is organized by Impact Research Communications (IRC)
More info: https://tb.ircconferences.net/ | Frontiers in TB & Mycobacteriology
