Meetings

• National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Drs. Leonid Heifets and Charles Peloquin - February 22, 2008
• Johns Hopkins University, Drs. Jacques Grosset and Eric Nuermberger - March 25, 2008
• Johnson and Johnson, Drs. Koen Andreis and Anne Lenaerts - April 11, 2008
• Johnson and Johnson, Dr. Scott Franzblau- April 3, 2008
• Ranbaxy Gurgaon, Haryana, India - May 6, 2008
• AstraZeneca, Bangalore, India - May 8-9, 2008
• Novartis, Singapore, July 14 & 15, 2008
• Otsuka, Tokushima, Japan, July 17, 2008
• GlaxoSmithKline,Madrid, Spain, October 14, 2008.
• Dr. Vincent Jarlier Lab, Paris, France, October 16, 2008.
• Dr. Michael Cynamon, October 26, 2008.
• Korea, October 2008.
• Gordon Research Conference, Oxford, England, August 18-20, 2009.
• Assay Standardization Workshop, Oxford, England, August 21, 2009.

Visit Summaries

Gordon Research Conference Workshop
Oxford, England, August 21, 2009
TB Drug Accelerator Project Goals and Activities

1. To aid in the acceleration of TB drug discovery and development
2. Re-evaluation of in vitro and in vivo protocols/assays used in the field.
3. The outcome is to provide a critical assessment of the methodology but is not meant to be a mandate for the future testing of compounds but a compilation of findings and recommendations.

Colorado State University (CSU) and University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC) are analyzing historical and current methods from in vitro and in vivo studies of TB drug testing. The program has visited several laboratories to gain an understanding of screening and testing methodology and to evaluate the potential strengths and weaknesses of each approach. The following pages represent a summary of these visits. During this grant award, there has been a re-evaluation of certain protocols using head-to-head comparative studies in vitro and in M. tuberculosis infected animal models. There has been a provision of guidance from an expert advisory panel. A workshop was held on August 21, 2009 to discuss findings, finalize results and work at a consensus document. Information is available on the home page.

Visit to Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases
Singapore, July 14-15, 2008
Gates TB Drug Accelerator: Assay Standardization
Meeting Minutes (pdf document)