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Recent Publications from the UNITE4TB Consortium
The UNITE4TB Consortium recently published four new publications, one in the journal of Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics and three in Breathe, making continued strides to disseminate the work of the project.
Dosing strategies
In the publication in Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, the authors modelled a once-daily dosing strategy for the administration of bedaquiline and delamanid. The proposed, simpler dosing strategy could enhance the efficacy of TB treatments, as current complex dosing regimens often suffer from low effectiveness due to poor medication compliance or patient adherence. The simulation results in adults showed sufficient alignment with WHO safety standards and is now tested in the PARADIGM4TB clinical platform trials.
In a recent editorial on dosing strategies in Breathe, the importance of getting the right dose in TB treatments is discussed. The writers argue that besides the traditional weight-based dosing strategy for TB drugs, clinicians should take other factors into consideration such as age, results of drug susceptibility testing, risk of intolerance and potential drug–drug interactions. More precise dosing then ensures optimal efficacy, while minimising toxicity and the development of TB drug resistance.
Developments in the biomarker field
Besides developing new innovative drug dosing regimens to enter the trial platform (racetrack), UNITE4TB is also establishing itself as a front runner in detecting new developments in the broader field of TB research.
For example, in this second editorial on TB biomarkers in Breathe, the authors discuss recent advancements in the field of genetic biomarker profiles for TB. Such new profiles are promising alternatives to traditional methods for diagnosis and monitoring treatment efficacy. Better diagnosis and improved assessments of treatment efficacy can contribute significantly to decreasing the global burden of TB.
AI in TB research
The prevalence of AI in TB research is outlined in the third editorial in Breathe on current advancements of AI models in global TB control. The results and potential of AI in TB research are evident, but the authors identify a lack of data that hampers further validation efforts and evidence finding, leading to the stalling of new investments. UNITE4TB aims to fill this data gap, by providing expansive data generation and collection in multiple clinical platform trials for large, comprehensive and high-quality datasets.