Crick Chat on Tuberculosis: the race against antibiotic resistance

One of the Crick's key priorities is to engage the public in our research. We recently launched a series of Crick Chats, aimed at giving the general public the opportunity to engage with our researchers in a relaxed and informal environment.

Our latest Crick Chat took place at the House of Illustration in King's Cross on 5 March. Attendees were brought face-to-face with two scientists working at the frontline of research on tuberculosis: Luiz Pedro de Carvalho from the National Institute for Medical Research, and Alison Grant from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Despite being a curable and preventable disease, tuberculosis has seen a resurgence in recent years due to the HIV epidemic, and currently kills 1.5 million people across the world every year. Worryingly, matters are being made worse by the rise of antibiotic resistance.

The lively and fascinating evening explored how understanding TB at the molecular and cellular level is aiding the development of novel treatments for multi-drug resistant TB. "By identifying new drug targets and understanding more about how our drugs work, we have a much better chance of developing the new antibiotics we desperately need", explained Luiz.

There were plenty of opportunities to ask questions, chat informally with the scientists and even take part in interactive demos and a quiz.

Crick Chats are free and open to all. The next one will take place during the Pint of Science festival in May. Keep an eye on the events page of our website for details.

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