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Clinical studies show more protection than current treatment. The treatment is based on the human pathogen of the bacteria
The Aragonese vaccine against tuberculosis (MTBVAC), after several decades of research in this field, has demonstrated in preclinical studies similar safety profiles and greater protection against lung disease than the current treatment (BCG) in animal models. This advance suggests that the solution supported by the University of Zaragoza could become the universal reference against this disease, which causes 1,4 million deaths each year.
The research, which has just been published by Plos Pathogens, has been developed by researchers from the respiratory diseases network research institute of the National Center for Microbiology, Carlos Martín's group at the University of Zaragoza and Radboud University (Holland).
The current BCG vaccine, based on a live attenuated form of Mycrobacterium bovis isolated from cows and developed a century ago, continues to be the only one authorized against the disease. However, the treatment developed from Aragon is the first based on the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis and therefore could have greater effectiveness against the disease.
The results of this research have already shown that the new vaccine triggers the induction of trained immunity in human cells comparable to the classic one. "MTBVAC is capable of producing an immunomodulatory response in human cells, stimulating the modulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes and generating long-term reprogramming of the cells of the innate immune system similar to that obtained with the BCG vaccine," explains the coordinator of studies at the University of Zaragoza, Nacho Aguiló,
The first signatory of the article, Raquel Tarancón, adds that after these initial confirmations they can deduce that the Aragonese vaccine could have a higher level of protection than the one currently being used. The clinical trial phase has already demonstrated its effectiveness, although for its use to be regular it will still take about three or four years, due to the safety controls that a treatment of this type must pass. "We cannot forget that the bacteria is inoculated in a healthy population, so we have to be very careful with safety," she highlights.
Furthermore, these findings together confirm that MTBVAC has a high potential to indirectly protect and control pneumococcal pneumonia. "Its use would be compatible against pneumococcus," they point out.
