Methods for Dagnosing and Treating Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) Infection through Detection of CD153 Expression Level. | Office of Technology Transfer, NIH

Diagnosing and Treating Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) Infection

Licensing Opportunity

Scanning electron micrograph of Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, which cause tuberculosis (TB). Credit: NIAID

Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (Mtb) is the leading cause of death due to a single infectious agent and is among the top ten causes of all human deaths worldwide. NIAID researchers have discovered that the expression of a cytokine molecule—CD153—is required for control of the pulmonary Mtb infection. Research in mice, nonhuman primates, and Mtb-infected humans supports that CD153 is a major immune mediator of host protection against pulmonary Mtb infection. This immune mechanism of host protection may be a prime candidate to effectively diagnose and treat Mtb infections in the future.

Read more about this exciting licensing opportunity: https://www.ott.nih.gov/technology/e-085-2018.