Novel targets in M. tuberculosis: search for new drugs.

The recent past has experienced a renaissance in tuberculosis (TB) research. New molecular biology reagents and genetic tools have been developed and whole genome sequences of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains are now widely available. An increase in the prevalence of drug-resistant strains of M. tuberculosis has renewed focus on the development of new drugs against this millennia old disease. The identification of new targets in M. tuberculosis that might be inhibited to effectively kill the existing strains is now a global pursuit. This review summarizes recently identified targets in M. tuberculosis that have been validated beyond initial genetic identification. Advancing these defined targets for the development of inhibitors has the potential to produce new drugs with novel mechanisms of actions and benefit TB patients worldwide.