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5d ago

MIT Researchers Advance Chemical Labeling for Tuberculosis Diagnostics

A novel oxaziridine-based technique selectively tags TB-specific glycans, paving the way for faster, non-invasive diagnostic tools.

These macrophages are infected with mycobacterium tuberculosis. In the middle column, glycans in the bacterial cell wall have been labeled green. At right, bacterial cell walls are labeled in purple. The composite images at left show both the cell walls and the glycan label that the MIT team developed. Cells were imaged after 4 hours (top row) and 72 hours (bottom row).

Overview

  • MIT scientists have developed a chemical labeling method using oxaziridine to selectively tag the ManLAM glycan in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
  • The labeling approach exploits a rare thioether sugar, MTX, found in ManLAM, enabling precise visualization of TB cell wall glycans.
  • The technique demonstrated specificity, producing fluorescent signals in M. tuberculosis but not in related species like M. smegmatis.
  • Contrary to previous assumptions, labeled ManLAM remains attached to the bacterial surface for at least 72 hours during macrophage infection.
  • Researchers aim to adapt this method for rapid, cost-effective TB diagnostics using non-invasive samples like urine.