Finding New TB Drug Targets

Explain how identifying a previously underexplored biological target in the tuberculosis bacterium could lead to new medicines. Walk through the path from laboratory discovery to a treatment patients can use, including how researchers test whether a target is essential, anticipate drug resistance, assess safety, and navigate clinical trials. Compare this approach with modifying existing antibiotics, and discuss the particular challenges of developing accessible treatments for diseases that disproportionately affect lower-resource communities.