The Help Stop TB research team had their first meeting with the Krembil World Community Grid team earlier this month.
Background
The Help Stop TB project was created to study the sheath of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB. Knowing more about this sheath could help scientists better understand how the bacterium protects itself, which could in turn assist in the ongoing search for better treatments.
In October 2020, the World Health Organization released the most recent global statistics on TB, including the following:
- In 2019, an estimated 10 million people contracted TB.
- 1.4 million people died from TB in 2019.
- TB remains one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide, and the leading cause from a single infectious agent (above HIV/AIDS).
Introducing the new World Community Grid team members
Earlier this month, the Help Stop TB principal investigator, Dr. Anna Croft, had an introductory phone call with Dr. Igor Jurisica, who is now leading World Community Grid. They discussed the ongoing needs of the project (which we will continue to support). A few days ago, the larger teams had a regular monthly meeting. The primary focus of the meeting was for the Krembil and Help Stop TB teams to introduce themselves and their roles.
Going forward, the World Community Grid team will continue to meet every month with the Help Stop TB team to discuss technical issues, data analysis, and project news.
Current status of work units
- In progress: 22 batches (655 work units)
- Completed: 24,355 batches
39 batches in the last 30 days
Average of 1.3 batches per day
Note: For this particular project, the researchers often need to analyze the batches we send back to them before they can build more work units. This can sometimes lead to an intermittent work unit supply.
Click here to learn more about World Community Grid's monthly project updates.