A gene signature in the bloodstream could reveal whether someone is going to develop active tuberculosis (TB) months before any symptoms begin.
Such a signature has now been developed by a team led by the Francis Crick Institute and University of Leicester.
The research looked at 53 TB patients in Leicester and followed 108 of their close contacts over two years to see who developed active TB.
They found that those who remained healthy showed no sustained gene signature, while six of the nine who went on to develop active TB showed a strong, sustained signature.
This is the first study to link the presence of signature and the onset of early TB before the patient has symptoms.
This small proof-of-principle study shows a potential new direction for TB detection.
Anne O’Garra, senior author of the paper, said: “This study was a promising proof-of-principle, offering new insights into how to develop gene signatures for active TB.
“The next step will be to develop and test different gene signatures in larger groups of people, with the aim of being able to offer validated tests to patients within the next decade.”
The research was carried out in collaboration with BIOASTER and bioMérieux and the University of Cape Town.
Image Credit | Science Photo
