A James Cook University team may have found a new way to fight tuberculosis—by delivering a stronger vaccine directly into the lungs.
Researchers say the inhaled version of the BCG vaccine activates lung repair cells, helping generate long-lasting immunity.
Associate Professor Andreas Kupz was part of a team from James Cook University’s Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine investigating how to better combat TB. He says with TB killing 1.3 million people globally last year, a more effective vaccine is urgently needed.
“A principal reason for these high numbers is the ineffectiveness of the only licensed TB vaccine, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin or BCG, to protect adults. Because it is delivered as an injection after birth, it often doesn’t produce long-term protection against respiratory infections,” said Dr Kupz.
He said the team showed that inhalation of a modified BCG vaccine activated specific lung repair mechanisms that can help the body fight TB more effectively.
“TB is a global health burden and one of the major causes of human death, and a new vaccine that produces this type of immunity is urgently needed,” said Dr Kupz.
