Rising antimicrobial resistance challenges our ability to combat bacterial infections. The problem is acute for tuberculosis (TB), the leading cause of death from infection before COVID-19.
Here, we developed a framework for multiple pharmaceutical companies to share proprietary information and compounds with multiple laboratories in the academic and government sectors for a broad examination of the ability of β-lactams to kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). In the TB Drug Accelerator (TBDA), a consortium organized by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, individual pharmaceutical companies collaborate with academic screening laboratories.
- In this paper we describe strategies used to prioritize thousands of β-lactams from multiple companies into a small test set for further characterization.
- In a striking contrast to historical expectation, 18% of β-lactams screened were active against Mtb, many without a β-lactamase inhibitor.
- One potent cephaloporin was active in Mtb-infected mice.