Imperial College London: Scientists Find Promising Drug Target for TB

17 March 2026

Imperial College London news story

Researchers discovered a drug target that could potentially help tackle drug-resistant TB. They discovered that inhibiting an enzyme found in the bacteria called PurF is effective at preventing the bacteria from replicating. This insight has potential to be used by medical researchers to develop new drugs that could get around existing drug-resistance by acting on a different target to existing treatments.

The team made the discovery after screening thousands of chemical compounds to find ones that kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis. They found that a molecule known as JNJ-6640 stops the bacteria replicating.

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Source: Imperial College London