About this Research Topic

Background

Since the dawn of times, Tuberculosis (TB) has been a scourge of mankind. The development of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine and the discovery of antibiotics had a significant impact on reducing TB mortality worldwide. However, TB remains a persistent global health emergency, with millions of deaths occurring annually despite vaccination efforts. Complicating matters further, the HIV epidemic and the emergence of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis have exacerbated the global TB burden.
In recent times, the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted an unprecedented global effort in vaccine development, resulting in the rapid development and deployment of effective vaccines within a year. This remarkable success highlights the potential for leveraging the expertise and knowledge gained from COVID-19 vaccine development to address other pressing global health emergencies, such as TB. This context sets the stage for innovative research endeavours aimed at developing effective interventions against TB and reducing the disease burden on a global scale.

The development of effective vaccines against tuberculosis (TB) faces several challenges that hinder progress in pre-clinical and clinical research. These challenges include the lack of animal models that accurately mimic human TB pathology, as well the limited dynamic range of protection available in the current animal models. Other difficulties include antigen selection, and incomplete understanding of the protective immune responses against TB, which hampers the identification of ideal immune responses to target in vaccinated individuals. Additionally, the high cost and complexity of conducting large-scale clinical efficacy trials with thousands of participants pose further obstacles in testing vaccine candidates in the field.
The goal of this research topic is to capitalize on recent advancements in vaccinology and address these challenges to improve the design, development, and clinical trial strategies for TB vaccines. By leveraging the knowledge gained from recent breakthroughs in vaccine research, this research aims to enhance our understanding of TB immunology, identify novel antigen candidates, optimize vaccine formulations and delivery methods, and develop innovative clinical trial designs. By tackling these key areas, the goal is to pave the way for the development of impactful TB vaccines that can effectively combat the global TB burden.

The scope of this Research Topic encompasses a wide range of manuscript types, including general commentary, opinions, review articles, and original research articles. We invite contributions from the global tuberculosis research community to share their perspectives and expert opinions, summarize the latest literature, and present their recent research findings with the potential to impact TB vaccines.
Specific themes of interest include:

• New animal models: Development and validation of animal models that better recapitulate human TB pathology, and that increase the dynamic range of protection for a more accurate evaluation of vaccine candidates.
• BCG and Innate Trained Immunity: Exploration of what was learned about BCG and innate trained immunity through COVID-19 preclinical studies and clinical trials.
• Innovative vaccine strategies: Exploration of novel approaches and technologies for TB vaccine development with particular interest in mRNA vaccine technologies to prevent infection and disease.
• Antigen discovery: Identification and characterization of new potential antigens with high immunogenicity and efficacy against TB.
• Novel Adjuvants: Investigation of adjuvant formulations to enhance the immune response and effectiveness of TB vaccines.
• Alternative routes of delivery: Examination of different delivery methods and formulations to optimize vaccine protection and immune response, with a particular focus on mucosal immunisation.
• Correlates of protection: Studies that can be used to predict vaccine efficacy and/or to inform vaccines designs to target specific vulnerable populations.
• Novel tools for vaccine screening: The development and validation of methods for vaccine evaluation and down-selection, including controlled human infection models (CHIMs), in vitro, ex vivo, organoid and in-silico models.

Contributions that address any of these topics, provide insights into the challenges and opportunities in TB vaccine research, and present significant findings or critical analyses are welcome. We encourage authors to share their expertise, engage in interdisciplinary discussions, and contribute to the global efforts to combat TB through effective vaccine strategies.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Tuberculosis, vaccine, protective immunity, animal models, antigen discovery, adjuvants, delivery

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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