An RNA-Based Vaccine Platform for Use against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Read the whole article here: An RNA-Based Vaccine Platform for Use against Mycobacterium tuberculosis - PMC (nih.gov)

“Massive funding and rapid advances in RNA-based vaccines for immunization have recently transformed the possibility of protecting global populations from viral pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2. Similar efforts to combat bacterial pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis have lagged behind in line with the funding deficits compared to investments made on COVID-19 R&D in the past three years.” Dr. Rhea Coler, Seattle Children's Research Institute

The study by Larsen et al reported that the application of a novel replicating RNA-based vaccine shows promise for use against intracellular bacteria such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb). This was demonstrated by the feasibility of construction, production, enhanced induction of cell mediated and humoral immune responses, and improved bacterial burden outcomes, particularly after  heterologous and combination regimens were evaluated in in vivo aerosol challenged preclinical TB models.

The speed of RNA vaccine development and ability to rapidly swap antigens lends itself well to the need of TB vaccines since global regions harbor different predominant lineages and tailoring vaccines to meet regional needs may further help improve efficacy against M.tb. The Coler lab which does preclinical and translational research is the first to report that RNA platforms are a viable system for tuberculosis vaccines and believe that this should be pursued with high priority M.tb antigens containing CD4+ and CD8+ T cell epitopes.

Read the whole article here: An RNA-Based Vaccine Platform for Use against Mycobacterium tuberculosis - PMC (nih.gov)