The TB Alliance has secured funding from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to investigate potential drugs for treating nontuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM) infections. 

The funding will facilitate preclinical testing of a novel oxazolidinone inhibitor, previously identified by researchers from TB Alliance and Johns Hopkins University in 2020, as a potential treatment for two types of NTM—Mycobacterium abscess and Mycobacterium avium complex—known to cause the majority of NTM lung infections in individuals with cystic fibrosis. 

The research aims to compare the efficacy of the synthetic antibiotic against NTM infections with that of linezolid, the current treatment for NTM abscess infections. 

Nader Fotouhi, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at TB Alliance, emphasized the organization's dedication to discovering innovative treatments for tuberculosis and the discovery of multiple potential compounds for NTM treatment.

The identification of this new compound opens up possibilities for developing improved treatments for NTM infections, offering potential benefits to individuals with cystic fibrosis.