Study to assess immune response to inhaled TB vaccine

A new study by the Jenner Institute (Centre for Clinical Vaccination and Tropical Medicine), University of Oxford, aims to determine whether BCG vaccines against tuberculosis might be more effective when administered through inhalation rather than into the skin, given that the natural route of infection with tuberculosis is through inhalation of droplets into the lungs.

Prof Helen McShane Chief Investigator, TB Vaccine Trials Jenner Institute, University of Oxford commented: “TB kills more people than any other infectious disease and there is an urgent need for better vaccines.  Small studies like these are really important to help us understand the immune response in people and allow us to design and test better vaccines.”

This study will also explore whether giving people with Type 2 Diabetes BCG in the skin stimulates as strong an immune response as giving BCG in the skin to healthy people without diabetes. “We know that people with type 2 diabetes are more likely to get TB and part of this may be because the BCG vaccine does not work as well in this group.”

The study will recruit healthy volunteers, with and without Type 2 Diabetes, who have previously been vaccinated with BCG. The volunteers will be split into 3 groups of 12 volunteers each. If eligible, volunteers will either receive BCG vaccine either as an injection in the skin or as an inhaled vaccine. All participants will be followed up for 6 months after receiving BCG with close monitoring for side effects and to evaluate the immune response.

Further details about taking part in this study can be found by clicking the link below.

Whilst the current BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin) vaccine works well against disease in childhood, it is not good enough at protecting against disease in adulthood, which is when the majority of TB deaths occur.

 Aye Thu Clinical Research Fellow Centre for Clinical Vaccinology and Tropical Medicine, said: “Despite BCG vaccine being around for more than 100 years, Tuberculosis remains the leading cause of death from an infective cause. A significant proportion of the population infected with TB continue to get sick and die even with TB medication. Having a new way of optimising the BCG vaccine will ultimately improve the health of people all over the world. This study will give the participants an opportunity to get involved in testing an exciting new way of delivering BCG vaccine through the aerosol route.”

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