Therapeutic vaccines for tuberculosis--a systematic review

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Infectious Diseases
• Vaccinology

Background:

• Tuberculosis eradication by 2050 requires novel strategies.
• Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) necessitates alternative treatments.
• Therapeutic TB vaccines offer a promising, though historically controversial, alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review advanced therapeutic TB vaccines.
• To assess the rationale for combining immunotherapy with pharmacotherapy for active TB.
• To evaluate preclinical and clinical data of leading vaccine candidates.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of advanced therapeutic TB vaccines.
• Analysis of preclinical data from animal models.
• Evaluation of clinical trial data in humans with active or latent TB.

Main Results:

• Five advanced therapeutic TB vaccine candidates were identified.
• Two vaccine candidates demonstrated sufficient clinical report quality for further investigation.
• Evidence supports further clinical evaluation of specific therapeutic TB vaccines.

Conclusions:

• Therapeutic TB vaccination combined with optimized pharmacotherapy is a viable strategy.
• Further clinical trials, including comparative studies, are needed for promising TB vaccine candidates.
• Advancing therapeutic TB vaccines is essential for combating drug-resistant strains and achieving eradication goals.