Dr. Alland led the effort that resulted in the Xpert MTB/RIF Assay, the first on-demand, point-of-care TB test, and the first replacement for the acid-fast smear to diagnose TB in over 100 years, recommended by the WHO and now used in 130 countries. This work continues in the development of rapid diagnostics for extended TB drug resistance, and blood stream detection of bioterrorism agents, S. aureus, Candida species, and more recent work on point-of-care diagnostics for COVID-19. Dr. Alland’s group along with the Sassetti laboratory discovered that phase variation in the M. tuberculosis glpK gene produced heritable, but rapidly reversible multi-drug tolerance; and suggested that phase variation may explain why TB requires months of multi-drug treatment. He has also developed innovative drug screens for inhibitors of cell wall biosynthesis and respiration, discovering novel drug candidates targeting Mtb Pks13, KasA and MenG, that are highly effective against stationary phase organisms, which promise to address the unmet need of more rapid effective TB treatment.