TB-2026 Conference Report

Frontiers in TB & Mycobacteriology: 2nd International Virtual Symposium

Date: March 2–3, 2026
Format:Virtual
Organized by: Impact Research Communications
Conference Chair: Prof. Sanjib Bhakta, UCL & Birkbeck, University of London, UK

The second edition of the Frontiers in TB & Mycobacteriology symposium built upon the momentum of 2025, convening a diverse global network of scientists, clinicians, and innovators. Over two days, the program featured cutting-edge presentations on drug resistance, host-pathogen interactions, vaccine innovation, diagnostics, and host-directed therapies—underscoring the urgency of advancing TB research toward the UN SDG goal of eliminating TB by 2030.

Day 1: Drug Resistance, Discovery & Vaccines

Session I: Drug Resistance Mechanisms and Antibiotic Discovery

  • Dr. Anil Koul (LSHTM, UK) unveiled JNJ6640, a next-generation antibiotic beyond bedaquiline, highlighting its potential to reshape TB treatment.
  • Dr. Kyle Rohde (UCF, USA) presented halogenated phenazines with activity against both replicating and dormant mycobacteria, emphasizing their resistance-thwarting mechanism.
  • Dr. Hedia Marrakchi (CNRS, France) revisited old scaffolds to inspire novel anti-TB molecules.
  • Dr. Anthony Baughn (Minnesota, USA) explored repurposing antiviral nucleotide analogs for TB therapy.
  • Dr. Joel Freundlich (Rutgers, USA) updated progress on KasA inhibitors, continuing from his 2025 work with JSF-3285.
  • Dr. Dirk Lamprecht (Cape Town, South Africa) introduced strategies targeting de novo purine biosynthesis.

Session II: Early Career Researchers (ECRs)

  • Stress adaptation via HepR (Gasparovic, France).
  • MmpL3 transport and ATP synthase interplay (Agnivesh, India).
  • Linezolid resistance linked to rlmN mutation (Green, USA).
  • Natural product betulin from Crinum asiaticum (Ofori, Ghana).
  • Novel compound BTD7 against Mtb (Tadesse, Ethiopia).

Session III: Vaccines, Immunity & Biomarkers

  • Dr. Bavesh Kana (South Africa) demonstrated peptidoglycan amidation as a vaccine engineering strategy.
  • Dr. Esther Julian Gomez (Spain) examined structural drivers of immune modulation.
  • Dr. Hazel Dockrell (UK) discussed biomarkers as correlates of protection in vaccine trials.
  • Dr. Stephen Carpenter (USA) analyzed CD4+ T cell responses to infected macrophages.
  • Dr. Bernadette Saunders (Australia) compared prognostic biomarkers for TB diagnosis and treatment response.

Session IV: Novel Diagnostics & Genomic Surveillance (ECRs)

  • Synergy of vancomycin and β-lactams (Malik, India).
  • Mycobacteriophages as adjuncts (Vocat, Switzerland).
  • Metabolomics in pediatric TB meningitis (Plaatjie, South Africa).
  • WGS-based resistance markers in Ethiopia (Tiruye, Ethiopia).

Day 1 concluded with an ECR networking forum and remarks emphasizing mentorship and collaboration.

Day 2: Host-Pathogen Dynamics, TB-HIV & Host-Directed Therapies

Session VI: Host-Pathogen Mechanisms

  • Dr. Zhang Tianyu (China) described synergistic lethal mechanisms in mycobacteria.
  • Dr. Celine Cougoule (France) presented innovative human infection models for drug testing.
  • Dr. Lucas Boeck (Switzerland) examined determinants of antibiotic killing.
  • Dr. Adrie Steyn (South Africa) highlighted lesion-level heterogeneity in TB outcomes.
  • Dr. Amy Barczak (USA) explored phagosomal containment vs. escape.
  • Dr. Pere Joan Cardona Iglesias (Spain) offered insights into host-directed therapies via coevolutionary models.
  • Dr. Howard Takiff (Venezuela) linked ESX-3 and PE-PGRS genes to iron metabolism.
  • Dr. Smriti Mehra (USA) investigated indoleamine dioxygenase in immune modulation.

Session VII: TB-HIV Co-Infection & Precision Epidemiology

  • Dr. Deepak Kaushal (USA) showed concurrent TB/HIV therapies controlling reactivation but not chronic immune activation.
  • Dr. Richard Anthony (Netherlands) discussed WGS-based precision epidemiology.
  • Dr. Johannes Nemeth (Switzerland) provided new insights into TB-HIV interactions.

Session VIII: Host-Directed Therapies & Molecular Pathogenesis (ECRs)

  • Tyrosine kinase inhibitors in host-directed therapy (Tientcheu, UK).
  • Natural flavones and statins as antimicrobials (Araujo, Italy; French, Ghana).
  • Copper-responsive sigma factor regulation (Segafreddo, Italy).
  • Programmed cell death pathways in macrophages (Ding, USA).
  • Natural extracts from Allium cepa (Ninkyi, Ghana).
  • CCRL2 deficiency enhancing resistance (Karanika, USA).

The symposium closed with Prof. Bhakta’s remarks, reinforcing the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and the role of young researchers in shaping TB science.

Global Participation

Countries represented included: China, France, Ghana, Ethiopia, India, Italy, Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, and more—reflecting the truly international scope of TB research.

Key Takeaways

  • Drug discovery is diversifying, with new scaffolds, repurposed antivirals, and metabolic targets.
  • Vaccines and biomarkers are advancing toward precision immunology.
  • Host-pathogen studies reveal heterogeneity at lesion and cellular levels.
  • TB-HIV research underscores the complexity of co-infection.
  • ECR contributions continue to enrich the field with innovative diagnostics, natural products, and host-directed strategies.

The 2026 symposium reaffirmed the global commitment to ending TB through science, innovation, and collaboration—building directly on the foundations laid in 2025.