​​Mycobactomics research at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences received a boost from the National Research Foundation (NRF) in the form of a R1 million grant awarded for Competitive Support for Unrated Researchers.

The Competitive Support for Unrated Researchers is a discipline-based funding instrument which supports principally basic research as the foundation of knowledge production in the disciplines of the Humanities, Social and Natural Sciences. 

Prof Samantha Sampson, from the Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, received the grant for the project "Isolation and characterisation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis persisters."

In the study abstract, the researchers explain that despite recent data indicating a worldwide decline in tuberculosis (TB) incidence, the disease continues to present serious public health challenges.

"One key challenge is the large number of individuals with latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, a particular concern in the context of HIV coinfection. A second key challenge lies in the requirement for very long and complex treatment regimens which are required to achieve complete sterilisation of M. tuberculosis infections. This is thought to be driven by so-called 'persister' populations of mycobacteria, which exhibit a drug tolerant phenotype. These populations are speculated to exist in a dormant (or non-replicating) state," says Sampson.

"In reality, the physiological state of mycobacteria during latent infection and in their drug tolerant condition is poorly understood. An improved understanding of mycobacterial persistence could offer the ability to target the large reservoir of latent M. tuberculosis infections, as well as to shorten existing treatment regimens for active infections.

"In this study, we aim to identify factors contributing to M. tuberculosis persistence. We will apply a newly developed fluorescence-based single-cell analysis approach in combination with methods to assess and compare the physiology of distinct replicating and non-replicating populations," says Sampson.

This builds on recently published work (Mouton et al Microbiology - 2016), led by a postdoctoral researcher in Sampson's group, Dr Jomien Mouton.