The London Launchpad Medical Research Council Regional Account for Clinical Researchers (RACR)

Tuberculosis kills over a million people every year, despite a vaccine and a cure. Why?

Thinktank urges prospective prime minister to reclaim UK’s role as an international leader on development

Tuberculosis treatment is challenging in part because Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) populations are phenotypically heterogeneous. Within the same infection, bacterial cells can exist in different physiological states, from actively replicating to slow-growing or non-replicating forms. To better study these processes, we developed and validated Mtb-Timer, a fluorescent reporter that enables visualization of bacterial growth dynamics. The system is based on a fluorescent protein that changes color over time: newly synthesized protein emits green fluorescence (GFP) and gradually shifts to red (DsRed) as it matures. The green-to-red fluorescence ratio, therefore, reflects bacterial replication activity. Using microscopy and flow cytometry in both in vitro cultures and infected macrophages (in cellulo), Mtb-Timer enables the quantification of distinct bacterial subpopulations and the real-time monitoring of the green-to-red fluorescence ratio and bacterial burden during treatment with first-line antibiotics.

Nature Reviews Immunology, Published online: 12 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41577-026-01268-4Fibrosis disrupts organ function through excessive extracellular matrix deposition, particularly in pulmonary cases. Insights from single-cell sequencing reveal fibroblast heterogeneity and regulation by immunological, mechanical and metabolic factors, highlighting pathways leading to progressive fibrosis versus effective tissue repair.

NHS to administer combined immunisation in move in line with approach in US, Canada, Australia and Germany

From HIV to TB, scientists and doctors made breakthroughs in treatment and prevention of some of the world’s deadliest diseases

Join us at the Keystone Symposia on Tuberculosis: Understanding the Disease Across Scales, March 2026, in Cape Town, with field leaders!

The World Health Organization (WHO) today released new guidance for countries on ways to counter the immediate and long-term effects of sudden and severe cuts to external funding, which are disrupting...