Recent news
September 2011
New research offers promising developments in search for a more effective TB vaccine
September 8, 2011 -- Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the top ten causes of death worldwide. One of the biggest obstacles in the fight against TB is that BCG, the only vaccine currently available, is only partially effective. Aeras, a GHTC member organization committed to developing an effective vaccine to fight TB and biologics to prevent the disease, calls BCG “unreliable” and says that “although BCG is the most widely administered vaccine in the world, there have never been as many cases of TB on the planet. There is therefore an urgent need for a modern, safe and effective vaccine that would prevent all forms of TB, including the drug-resistant strains, in all age groups and among people with HIV.”
While research is still at an early stage, scientists are encouraged by experiments in which they’ve injected mice with Ikeplus, a new vaccine which uses modified bacteria related to the bacteria which cause TB. Results from these trials demonstrate that these injections are capable of completely eliminating the TB bacteria in some mice.
Professor William Jacobs, the lead researcher from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, said that the researchers “consistently protected mice better with Ikeplus than with BCG.”
"This is something we've dreamed about for years, to be able to get longer protection and bactericidal immunity,” he continued.
