A new DNA vaccine delivered through a simple nose spray could give the immune system a powerful new weapon against tuberculosis (TB), helping eliminate bacteria that can hide from antibiotics and cause the disease to return.
Developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine, the experimental vaccine targets dormant “persister” bacteria, which are hard-to-kill microbes that can survive months of treatment and trigger relapse.
In animal studies, the vaccine cleared TB bacteria more quickly, reduced lung inflammation, prevented relapse after treatment, and enhanced the effectiveness of drugs used to treat drug-resistant TB.
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The study’s lead author, Styliani Karanika, an assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, explained that the vaccine also helped the powerful TB drug combination work better, particularly in hard-to-treat cases.
Unlike conventional vaccines, the therapy is administered through the nose, allowing it to
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