Anne J. Lenaerts
Associate Professor

Phone: 491-3079
Fax: 491-5125
Email: Anne.Lenaerts@colostate.edu
Office: B310 Microbiology Building
Lab: C312 Microbiology Building

Degrees

BSc, The University of Gent, Belgium
PhD, The University of Gent, Belgium

Research Interests

Bill and Melinda Gates TB Drug Accelerator Grant - Assay Standardization Website

The primary focus of this research group is the TB Drug Screening Contract; a no cost-screening program established by the NIH/NIAID and carried out by several institutions to efficiently screen large numbers of compounds provided by worldwide suppliers for activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) [more information at www.taacf.org]. Our group at CSU is responsible for the animal model testing component of the program. As part of the award, we have developed a series of new innovative assays designed to improve this process. This has led to the identification of different novel series of lead compounds which are currently being advanced through preclinical studies.

Our current area of interest is to investigate two phenomena that affect drug responsiveness of M. tuberculosis: drug tolerance and persistence of the bacterium caused by its environment. The overall goal of this group is to establish and validate new in vitro and in vivo models to improve evaluation of novel TB drugs against active and latent tuberculosis.

Selected Publications

Pub Med for Lenaerts A.

Lenaerts, A. J., Chase, S., Chmielewski, A. & Cynamon, M.H. 1999. Evaluation of Rifapentine in Long-Term Treatment Regimens for Tuberculosis in Mice. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 43, 2356-2360.

Lenaerts, A. J., Chase, S., Destefano, M. & Cynamon, M. H. 2000. Evaluation of Rifalazil in a Combination Treatment Regimen as Alternative Therapy to Isoniazid and Rifampin in a Tuberculosis Mouse Model. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 44, 3167-3168.

Lenaerts, A. J., Gruppo, V., Brooks, J. V. and I. M. Orme. 2003. Rapid in vivo screening of experimental drugs for tuberculosis using gamma interferon gene-disrupted mice. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 47(2), 783-785.

Tangallapally, R.P., Yendapally, R., Lee, R.E., Hevener, K., Jones, V.C., Lenaerts, A. J., McNeil, M.R., Wang, Y., Franzblau, S., Lee, R.E. 2004. Synthesis and evaluation of Nitrofuranyl amides as novel inhibitors of UDP-Gal mutase and new antituberculosis agents. J Med Chem. 7;47(21):5276-83.

Lenaerts, A.J., Chapman, P.L. & Orme, I.M. 2004. Statistical limitations to the Cornell model of latent tuberculosis infection for the study of relapse rates. Tuberculosis (Edinb). 84(6):361-4.

Lenaerts, A. J., Johnson C.M., Marrieta K.S., Gruppo V. and Orme I.M. 2005. Significant increases in the levels of liver enzymes in mice treated with anti-tuberculosis drugs. Int J Antimicrob Agents. 26(2):152-8.

Lenaerts, A. J., Gruppo, V., Marietta, K. S., Johnson, C. M., Driscoll, D. K., Tompkins, N. M., Rose, J. D., Reynolds, R. C. and I. M. Orme. 2005. Preclinical testing of the nitroimidazopyran PA-824 for activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a series of in vitro and in vivo models. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 49(6):2294-301

Tangallapally RP, Yendapally R, Lee RE, Lenaerts AJ and Lee RE. 2005. Synthesis and evaluation of cyclic secondary amine substituted phenyl and benzyl nitrofuranyl amides as novel antituberculosis agents. J Med Chem. 48(26):8261-9.

Johnson CM, Pandey R, Sharma S, Khuller GK, Basaraba RJ, Orme IM and Lenaerts AJ. 2005. Oral therapy using nanoparticle-encapsulated antituberculosis drugs in guinea pigs infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 49(10):4335-8.