This non-profit project is made possible by the great contributions from scientists and artists from around the world to address the scourge of TB. We are indeed privileged to be working with world renowned personalities in the arts and sciences, and are humbled by their dedication, generosity and patience. Their precious time and effort in ensuring the success of this project signify their readiness to contribute to a major problem of the world that primarily affects the underprivileged in underdeveloped nations. We hope their sincere contribution will make a difference to how we view and combat this disease. We are also aware that many others are willing to contribute to this project but are unable to do so due to time constraints. We hope this project will pave the way for future ‘editions’ of the book which will have additional contributions from other scientists and artists. It is also our intention to make each edition of the book freely available online.

We would like to recognize the support provided by Universiti Sains Malaysia and Finlay Institute to this project. We acknowledge the financial support of Research University (RU) Universiti Sains Malaysia, and the excellent support and guidance of Penerbit USM. We are very grateful to the team at Oxford Fajar Sdn Bhd for their patience, professionalism, and enthusiasm for the publication of the book. Thanks are also due to all of our colleagues, friends, and relatives who encouraged and helped us in different ways for the realization of this project.

The Editors