Kiwi researchers close to TB breakthrough

New Zealand researchers are inching closer to creating a world-first oral tuberculosis vaccine. TB kills more people worldwide than any other bacterial disease – latest estimates show about 1.4 million people died in 2010. People are usually vaccinated against TB by injection. However the new oral vaccination formula – developed by Otago University and Malaghan Institute scientists – had stronger and longer-lasting immune responses in mice, compared to the current needle vaccination. The results were published in the PLOS ONE journal today. For an oral vaccine to work, its bacteria need to be alive, surviving the harsh environment of the stomach. This problem was overcome by Dr Frank Aldwell and colleagues from Otago University-based Immune Solutions Ltd with the creation of Liporale – a formula that coats the vaccine’s BCG bacteria in a protective layer. Dr Joanna Kirman of Otago University’s microbiology department, who led the study, said the results from the mice showed the Liporale-BCG vaccine...