VIDO Scientists Discover New TB Gene, Opening Door to Next-Gen Vaccine

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the deadliest diseases in the world, killing over a million people every year. Caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), TB is notoriously hard to fight. The only vaccine available today, Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), provides limited protection, and drug-resistant forms of TB are on the rise, making new treatments and vaccines urgently needed.

Now, researchers at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), led by Dr. Jeffrey Chen, have made two exciting discoveries. The team created a model to better understand how TB causes disease. In doing so, the team discovered a new TB gene, that plays a key role in how the TB bacteria spreads and survives in the body. Understanding what this gene does gives scientists a fresh target for developing better drugs.

In creating the model, the VIDO team also created a vaccine that, in mice, protected just as well as BCG, but with a major advantage: it does not interfere with standard TB skin tests, which are used worldwide to detect infection. This is important because BCG vaccination can sometimes make these tests less accurate, complicating diagnosis.

“This work gives us two new powerful tools to fight TB and could lead to drugs and vaccines that are more effective,” said Dr. Chen. “Our results in mice are very encouraging, and we hope this will bring us closer to better TB treatments and protection for people around the world.”

The research also highlights VIDO’s role in tackling global infectious diseases. By combining cutting-edge science with innovative approaches, the team is helping the world better understand TB and how to stop it.

“These findings are important steps forward in the fight against one of humanity’s oldest and deadliest diseases,” Dr. Chen added. “It shows the impact that focused research can have in saving lives and improving global health.”

With millions of people still affected by TB each year, discoveries like this offer hope. By revealing new ways to target the disease and creating potential vaccines that overcome the limitations of current tools, VIDO’s work is helping to pave the way toward a future where TB is no longer a global threat.

Read the full study published in Microbiology Spectrum.