TB, along with AIDS and malaria, is one of the three major killers among infectious diseases. New approaches to preventing, diagnosing and curing tuberculosis are needed, which depend on a better understanding of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the host. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute convened a working group to develop recommendations for future TB research, including genetic aspects of the disease. The following areas were identified: 1) animal model research to improve understanding of persistence, reactivation and granulomatous reactions; 2) preclinical studies aimed at shortening treatment of tuberculosis; 3) new resources for manipulating and characterizing the M. tuberculosis genome, proteome chips for more specific diagnoses, and studies of genes that appear to be essential but whose functions are not known; 4) prospective studies associated with clinical trials in populations with or at risk of tuberculosis to advance development of diagnostics and prognostics; 5) new quantitative and bioinformatic approaches to study the interaction between M. tuberculosis and the infected host and how this influences the infection process; 6) molecular characterization of M. tuberculosis genome diversity and phylogenetic analysis; 7) coordinated studies of human genome scans; 8) genetic epidemiology studies; 9) activities to foster knowledge dissemination, education, and training; 10) coordination between the NIH, the Gates foundation, the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development and other organizations