Researchers at the University of Zaragoza (belonging to CIBERES) and the biopharmaceutical vaccine company Biofabri in Porrino, Spain, in partnership with the TuBerculosis Vaccine Initiative (TBVI) developing a new TB vaccine, MTBVAC. MTBVAC, a live attenuated M.tuberculosis vaccine, has been shown to provide improved protection as compared to BCG and the mechanism behind this greater efficacy has been hypothesized to be due the ability of MTBVAC to present a wider collection of antigens of M. tuberculosis.
Recent studies show that:
- The immune response to two dominant TB antigens present in MTBVAC but absent in BCG, is associated with the enhanced protection of MTBVAC as compared to BCG
- The discovery warrants further exploration of this immune response as a potential correlate of protection
The findings uncover a first mechanism of the improved protection of MTBVAC as compared to BCG, and further exploration of this response as a potential biomarker of protection for MTBVAC is warranted.