South African researchers have achieved a major breakthrough in the development of a tuberculosis (TB) vaccine, marking a significant advance in the fight against this deadly disease. The collaboration between Walter Sisulu University and North West University has yielded promising results.
In three immunogenicity studies conducted in two animal models, researchers found that the vaccine provided 100% protection against TB. This is considered a significant development, given that TB claims the lives of more than 55,000 South Africans annually, an average of 153 deaths per day.
This curable disease now has the potential to be preventable with the progress made in vaccine development. Professor Anne Grobler, the project manager of the South African vaccine platform for infectious diseases initiative, shed light on the process involved in the research.
"What we do is we infect specific animals models with the bacteria or with a TB live, and then you see how the protected animals react against the disease. In this case, we use an animal model specifically, such as from tuberculosis, which mimics the human condition. We've really used quite a lot of number of animals to confirm it. So, we've done 12 different groups of animals to confirm our results," Prof. Grobler said, as quoted by local media.
The driving force behind this groundbreaking concept is Professor Markus Depfenhart, who identified the need for a new TB vaccine.
He recognized the potential benefits of combining TB and COVID-19 research, as recent studies have shown a synergistic protection between the two diseases. According to him, these findings highlight a potential opportunity for co-treatment and further exploration of the relationship between the two diseases.
"It seems to be there is some synergy that the one is ventic to the others and some recent studies by the way that if you infect a special mouse model sensitive for COVID-19 because a normal mouse does not get COVID-19 and if you take them first with tuberculosis then they don’t get COVID-19, so there is a synergy, a synergistic protection," said Prof. Depfenhart.
While this breakthrough offers hope, there are still challenges to overcome in the fight against TB. Professor Harry Hausler, CEO of the non-profit organization TB HIV Care, emphasized the need for increased efforts in TB prevention.
He stressed the importance of ensuring that people who are eligible for TB preventive therapy have access to it.
"There are new TB preventative therapy guidelines that were released this year that explain who is eligible for TB preventive therapy, and that includes people living with HIV, but also any close contact to a person who has TB, for example, someone who lives in the same household or spent a lot of time with someone with TB, is eligible for what's called TB preventative therapy," Prof. Hausler explained.
The next critical step in this groundbreaking research is to move into human trials. According to local media, researchers are currently preparing to work with the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) to discuss the necessary approvals and protocols, and to establish a set of standards to ensure the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
As tuberculosis remains a long-standing global health problem, this breakthrough has the potential to save countless lives around the world. Globally, TB is the 13th leading cause of death and the second most deadly infectious disease, surpassing HIV and AIDS. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that more than 10 million people are diagnosed with TB each year.