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Polyester protection

An engineered biobead vaccine could protect against tuberculosis

March 2, 2017 7:18 PM UTC

A vaccine based on engineered biobeads offers a new paradigm for immunization against tuberculosis that incorporates both known and unknown antigens to mimic the broad repertoire of live vaccines, but with the safety of non-infectious ones. The platform, developed by a New Zealand group, adds a new mechanism to the list of recombinant vaccines looking to replace the almost century-old BCG.

Although the bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine protects against severe childhood forms of TB, it has limited use in adolescents and adults, and can lead to severe complications in immunocompromised individuals...