A group of researchers from IISc have found a new way to deliver a tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidate with the help of gold nanoparticles.
Story so far: Researchers from IISc have found a new way to deliver a tuberculosis vaccine using spherical vesicles secreted by bacteria coated on gold nanoparticles which can be delivered to immune cells. This could mark a significant change in the prevention and cure of the disease.
- TB is a deadly and contagious disease that kills over a million people worldwide every year. It mainly affects the lungs before spreading to other parts of the body.
- Most people affected by TB do not exhibit any symptoms at all making it difficult to track and identify.
How the new vaccine works: The group from IISc led by Rachit Agarwal has developed a potential sub-unit vaccine candidate that has some parts of the infectious bacterium that will stimulate an immune response. The vaccine uses Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs) which are spherical membrane-bound particles that have proteins and lipids that elicit an immune response against the pathogen.