Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the leading cause of death globally, responsible for nearly 1.5 million deaths each year. Around one-third of the world’s population is infected with Mtb’s latent form.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is a commonly used tuberculosis vaccine that provides protection against newborn and adult pulmonary tuberculosis. However, this protection can range from zero to 80 percent in babies. Children are frequently immunised, although TB meningitis and Mtb spread into the brain continue to occur.

The researchers at Purdue and Houston Methodist developed this unique tuberculosis vaccine formulation by combining autophagy-mediated antigen presentation, which stimulates the T cell response.

Chinnaswamy Jagannath, professor of pathology and genomic medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College’s Houston Methodist Research Institute, demonstrated that the unique formulation enhances the development of tuberculosis-specific immune responses.

Jagannath collaborates with Dr. Suresh Mittal, the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Distinguished Professor of Virology.

“Our vaccine approach is equally effective without or with prior vaccination with BCG,” Mittal said.

“It is vital since the majority of people in Mtb-endemic countries are already immunized with BCG,” Jagannath said.

Mittal’s lab investigates vaccine delivery platforms, while Jagannath’s lab developed this tuberculosis vaccine via the nasal route.

“The great thing about this work with TB is that it can translate to other infectious diseases and possibly cancer immunotherapy,” Mittal said.

The next phase for the vaccine formulation is a nonhuman primate efficacy investigation.

According to Mittal, the successful completion of the study will serve as the foundation for a human trial, albeit no human trial is currently scheduled.

Image Credit: GEtty