"New TB Research Facility"

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1992. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

"New TB Research Facility"

Science (12/11/92) Vol. 258, No. 5089, P. 1734
Holden, Constance

Abstract: A new research center at the Public Health Research Institute, a private research group in New York City, has been opened to research tuberculosis. The center's president, Lewis Weinstein, said, "Multidrug-resistant TB is reaching epidemic proportions." In fact, in only 2 years, the number of cases has escalated from a few dozen to an estimated 1,000. What's worse is the disease is now primarily affecting HIV-infected individuals who have depleting immune systems. Also, it affects these patients because they often fail to comply with the full 6 to 9 months of treatment, the disease often recurs in even more drug-resistant forms. Barry Kreiswirth, a molecular biologist, is expected to head the TB center, which will serve as a lab in the institute's existing facility. Private sources will fund the center with a budget of $2.5 million over the next three years. The new facility hopes to DNA fingerprint TB cultures with the intention of developing a large database that will facilitate quick diagnosis of different strains and their reactions to different drugs. Using conventional methods, it can take weeks to grow TB cultures and test drugs on them. Weinstein said another goal is to test different drugs in the lab, including many currently on the shelves at pharmaceutical companies. In addition, various TB diagnostics will be tested, including polymerase chain reaction. The budget of the new program signifies a sharp increase for TB research, even though the federal TB budget this fiscal year is only $5.4 million.

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Copyright © 1992 - Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD. The CDC National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention provides the following information as a public service only. Providing synopses of key scientific articles and lay media reports on HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis does not constitute CDC endorsement. This daily update also includes information from CDC and other government agencies, such as background on Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) articles, fact sheets, press releases and announcements. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update should be cited as the source of the information. Contact the sources of the articles abstracted below for full texts of the articles.

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