Visualizing the dynamics of tuberculosis pathology using molecular imaging

• Published in: The Journal of clinical investigation Vol. 131; no. 5; pp. 1 - 11
• Main Authors: Ordonez, Alvaro A., Tucker, Elizabeth W., Anderson, Carolyn J., Carter, Claire L., Ganatra, Shashank, Kaushal, Deepak, Kramnik, Igor, Lin, Philana L., Madigan, Cressida A., Mendez, Susana, Rao, Jianghong, Savic, Rada M., Tobin, David M., Walzl, Gerhard, Wilkinson, Robert J., Lacourciere, Karen A., Via, Laura E., Jain, Sanjay K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society for Clinical Investigation 01.03.2021
• Subjects: Animals; Antibiotics; Bacterial infections; Biology; Biomarkers; Biomarkers - metabolism; Biomedical research; Disease; Drug resistance; Enzymes; Evaluation; Glucose; Health aspects; Host-bacteria relationships; Host-pathogen interactions; Humans; Infections; Latent infection; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Metabolism; Metabolites; Molecular diagnostic techniques; Molecular Imaging; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Mycobacterium tuberculosis - metabolism; Pathogenesis; Pathogens; Patients; Prostate; Review; Tuberculosis; Tuberculosis - diagnostic imaging; Tuberculosis - metabolism; United States
• ISSN: 0021-9738; 1558-8238; 1558-8238
• DOI: 10.1172/JCI145107

Nearly 140 years after Robert Koch discovered Mycobacterium tuberculosis, tuberculosis (TB) remains a global threat and a deadly human pathogen. M. tuberculosis is notable for complex host-pathogen interactions that lead to poorly understood disease states ranging from latent infection to active disease. Additionally, multiple pathologies with a distinct local milieu (bacterial burden, antibiotic exposure, and host response) can coexist simultaneously within the same subject and change independently over time. Current tools cannot optimally measure these distinct pathologies or the spatiotemporal changes. Next-generation molecular imaging affords unparalleled opportunities to visualize infection by providing holistic, 3D spatial characterization and noninvasive, temporal monitoring within the same subject. This rapidly evolving technology could powerfully augment TB research by advancing fundamental knowledge and accelerating the development of novel diagnostics, biomarkers, and therapeutics.