The TB germ can gestate within the human body for years without causing any infection, and understanding the chemistry of this feature could be a contribution to drug development. This germ is known for its high lipid (fatty molecules) content, and Gokhale’s group has found some unique ones on the germ’s cell wall and "dissected the complex biochemical pathways leading to the assembly of these cell wall lipids". These pathways could become the targets for new drug formulations. For a young man at the cutting edge of multi-disciplinary research, it’s a much headier elixir than anything else in life. "Finding answers to the curious questions of biology that surround us is the reason I am here."
