On this edition of FOCUS In Sound, we’re going to learn about a devastating infectious pathogen – Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a bacterium with incredible staying power and, unfortunately, considerable killing power as well. Although we might think of it as a somewhat old-fashioned disease, tuberculosis is still an enormous global health problem, with 15 million new cases every year and as many as 3 million deaths worldwide. Also, up to one-third of the world’s population, that is, as many as 2 billion people may be latently infected with tuberculosis. Despite the many advances in biomedical research over the past several decades, it is still the case that very little is known about how the tuberculosis bacterium works. Joining us on FOCUS In Sound is a young investigator who is working to change that by conducting basic research on the tuberculosis bacterium. By characterizing the pathogenesis of the disease and enhancing the ability to diagnose it, the ultimate goal of her group’s work is nothing less than the ultimate eradication of this infectious scourge. Dr. Sarah Fortune is the Melvin J. and Geraldine L. Glimcher Associate Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Harvard School of Public Health. In 2012, she was the recipient of a 5-year, $500,000 grant as one of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund’s Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease.