Oxford launches first human trial of aerosol vaccine delivery

The University of Oxford in partnership with the Coler Lab at Seattle Children’s Research Institute (SCRI) has begun a new clinical trial called TB045, which aims to test tuberculosis (TB) vaccine safety and the host immune response in a first-in-man aerosol mycobacterial challenge infection model with healthy adult volunteers. TB is a disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis and in 2023 was the leading cause of death from an infectious disease globally. The only current licensed vaccine against TB is Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), which has remained unchanged for over a century. BCG is a weakened form of Mycobacterium bovis, which is very similar to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is normally given as an injection in the skin at birth in areas with endemic TB. Although BCG is safe to give to infants, it does not provide life-long protection and drugs against TB are not enough to stop the financial and social...