Dr. Av-Gay is one of the TB researchers that your donations support.
Battle in a Test Tube: TB Research in BC
"At today's rate of infection, over half of the world's population will be infected with tuberculosis within the next 20 years." - World Health Organization (2001)
The Heather Pavilion at Vancouver General Hospital is old
and creaky. The hallways are a labyrinth, and the numbers on
the door follow their own logic. But inside this aging building
lies a state-of-the-art battlefield, fighting an enemy that claims
a life every 20 seconds. It is a battle fought not with guns or
bombs, but with test tubes, and sophisticated computers. Dr.
Yossef Av-Gay and Dr. Zacharia Hmama both work here, allies
in the fight against tuberculosis. Both doctors work next to
each other, and they share some equipment, but their focus is
different.
Dr. Av-Gay studies the tuberculosis bacillus itself, in an effort
to discover new ways to target the bug with drugs. Dr. Av-Gay and his research team have recently identified how TB hides and multiplies in the human body. This breakthrough may lead to the development of new treatments for TB. The researchers have discovered how a protein in TB interact with a newly discovered protein in human white cells (microphages).
TB causes disease by infecting the body’s macrophages. Normally, macrophages surround and destroy bacteria. The researchers found that a protein secreted by TB targets a protein in the macrophage, which allows the TB to hide and multiply within the macrophage.
Dr. Hmama at work in the lab.
This discovery will allow scientists to develop new ways to target TB with drugs.
This research was published in the journal Cell Host and Microbe. Read the full paper here. Visit Dr. Av-Gay's website here.
Dr. Hmama is trying to discover ways to alter the current tuberculosis vaccine to make it more effective. The existing tuberculosis
vaccine is not very effective in preventing TB, but it has an excellent safety record. Because of its safety, if Dr. Hmama can tweak the existing vaccine to be more effective, the world would have a very safe vaccine that could help us wipe out tuberculosis for good.
TB Vets’ donors help make Dr. Av-Gay’s and Dr. Hmama’s work possible. Over the years, your donations have allowed us to give $1,345,000 toward finding a cure for tuberculosis. Thank you!
TB Defined
Tuberculosis is an airborne disease caused by organisms that usually infect the lungs. When an infectious person coughs, sneezes, or laughs, TB-causing organisms are released into the air and inhaled by those around them.
Some people who are exposed to tuberculosis never develop symptoms because
their immune systems are able to fight the disease. They are not contagious
at this point, but will have dormant TB in their systems for the rest of
their lives.
Symptoms of active TB include persistent cough, weight loss, fatigue, night sweats, and fever. At this point, the person with TB becomes contagious.
Drug treatment is required to stop the disease from progressing and to reduce the risk of spreading TB to others. Because the drug treatment takes many months to work, some patients stop taking their drugs before they should. This has led to the development of drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis. Click here to learn more about drug resistant TB.
To prevent TB infection, avoid close contact with people who have TB if possible. If you live with someone who has TB, ask your doctor what you can do to protect yourself from infection and whether you need to be tested for TB.
Want more information?
Click below to visit these other sites:
- Health Canada - TB Prevention and Control Fact Sheets
- World Health Organization - TB Facts
- BC Centre for Disease Control - TB symptoms and treatment information
- Play the TB discovery game - Play this interactive game to learn about how Robert Koch isolated the bacillus that cause TB in 1882.
TB Vets Charitable Foundation is pleased to present Metro Vancouver's premier recovery service for lost mobile phones, laptops, cameras, music players and any other wireless devices. This new initiative is powered by the TB Vets proven key return service and promotes the quick and easy return of all lost items. Apply the ID decal to your items and register online. It's that simple!
