Despite recent reinvigorated efforts in Tuberculosis (TB) drug discovery, relatively few new drugs and candidates have emerged with clear utility against drug resistant TB. However, significant technological advances and learnings around target value have taken place offering opportunities to re-assess the potential for optimization of previously discovered chemical matter against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A re-assessment of discarded compounds and programs from the “golden age of antibiotics” has yielded new scaffolds and targets against TB and uncovered classes with previously unappreciated utility for TB.
In this recent review, written by Evotec TB experts, Christine Roubert, Evelyne Fontaine and Anna Upton, these new perspectives, and the progress of these approaches are summarized, together with evident advantages and limitations of these strategies.