Bengaluru: A work in progress Tuberculosis researchThe scientists Indian Institute of Science created a novel 3D Hydrogel Culturing System Which is similar to human lungs. This provides a platform from which to find out how tuberculosis bacteria infect lung cells and to test the efficacy of drugs used to treat the infection.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is a dangerous germ.According to the World Health Organization, in 2022 it affected 10.6 million people and caused 1.3 million deaths.
Led by Rachit Agrawal, Associate Professor, Department of Bioengineering, the IISc team addressed the limitations of conventional 2D culture models. These older models fail to replicate complex 3D structure lung tissuecould potentially affect research results. “This is a very old worm, and it has evolved with us to a large extent,” said Agrawal, corresponding author of the study published in Advanced Healthcare Materials.
The new hydrogel culture is made of collagen, a major component of lung tissue. This 3D environment allows researchers to observe how TB bacteria interact with human immune cells over a longer period of time – up to three weeks, compared to only 4-7 days in conventional systems. Remarkably, RNA sequencing revealed that cells grown in the hydrogel more closely resembled real human lung tissue samples than those grown in conventional cultures. This increased biological accuracy could lead to more relevant research results. The team also demonstrated the model's potential for drug testing. They found that a common TB drug, pyrazinamide, was effective at a much lower, more clinically relevant dose than typically required in 2D cultures.
The researchers have applied for an Indian patent for their innovation, which they have designed to be easily repeatable by other scientists and suitable for industrial drug testing.
This success could spur further research
Future plans include using this model to study why TB manifests differently in patients and to explore new drug development possibilities. This breakthrough could speed up TB research and, potentially, lead to more effective treatments. PhD student and first author Vishal Gupta said the team is also interested in understanding the mechanism of action of pyrazinamide, which could help discover new drugs that are more or just as efficient.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is a dangerous germ.According to the World Health Organization, in 2022 it affected 10.6 million people and caused 1.3 million deaths.
Led by Rachit Agrawal, Associate Professor, Department of Bioengineering, the IISc team addressed the limitations of conventional 2D culture models. These older models fail to replicate complex 3D structure lung tissuecould potentially affect research results. “This is a very old worm, and it has evolved with us to a large extent,” said Agrawal, corresponding author of the study published in Advanced Healthcare Materials.
The new hydrogel culture is made of collagen, a major component of lung tissue. This 3D environment allows researchers to observe how TB bacteria interact with human immune cells over a longer period of time – up to three weeks, compared to only 4-7 days in conventional systems. Remarkably, RNA sequencing revealed that cells grown in the hydrogel more closely resembled real human lung tissue samples than those grown in conventional cultures. This increased biological accuracy could lead to more relevant research results. The team also demonstrated the model's potential for drug testing. They found that a common TB drug, pyrazinamide, was effective at a much lower, more clinically relevant dose than typically required in 2D cultures.
The researchers have applied for an Indian patent for their innovation, which they have designed to be easily repeatable by other scientists and suitable for industrial drug testing.
This success could spur further research
Future plans include using this model to study why TB manifests differently in patients and to explore new drug development possibilities. This breakthrough could speed up TB research and, potentially, lead to more effective treatments. PhD student and first author Vishal Gupta said the team is also interested in understanding the mechanism of action of pyrazinamide, which could help discover new drugs that are more or just as efficient.
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