Processing .....please wait.. 
The article has been forwarded.... 
Indian American Researcher's Landmark Discovery in TB Treatment
By siliconindia
|
Thursday, 31 January 2013, 23:38 IST
Bangalore: Indian American researcher Bikul Das at Stanford University has come up with a remarkable study in the field of TB. He made a significant discovery regarding the complexity faced in eliminating the disease completely even after treatment, reports Manimugdha S Sharma of Times of India.Das has been conducting research on the topic for the last 15 years and recently he published a study in the journal ‘Science Translational Medicine’. As per the study, the TB bacteria hide itself beyond the reach of antibiotics, in a group of stem cells inside the bone marrow. The bacteria are supposed to reappear later on, thus injuring the body.
According to Deepjyoti Kalita, a professor of microbiology at Gauhati Medical College, who is also the co-author of the study, the discovery by Das is a landmark one. He adds, "We never knew where TB bacteria used to hide; but now that we know that the bacteria invade and hide in stem cells in the bone marrow, it would be possible to hunt them down and kill them in future. The present medicines don't help much in this respect’’, reports Sharma.
Nearly 1.9 million people die annually because of TB, a disease which is normally considered as ‘curable’. DOTS regimen is the most popular TB treatment among Indians, but even this fails to completely eliminate it.
