The vaccine for tuberculosis is almost a hundred years old and is most effective in protecting newborns. Dr. Jeffrey Chen with VIDO, on the University of Saskatchewan campus, is working to develop a new TB vaccine as well as new treatments. Today is World Tuberculosis Day.
Dr. Chen says because we have such an excellent health care system the incidence of tuberculosis is low. The Saskatchewan Health Authority says there were 142 cases of TB in Saskatchewan in 2023 and Dr. Chen says there were roughly 2,300 cases in Canada that same year. That’s in comparison to approximately 10.8 million cases worldwide.
“A large proportion of our TB incidence rate is in our northern communities where you have risk factors such as overcrowding, malnutrition or food insecurity. These are all very serious risk factors that can make TB incidence rates higher.”
Dr. Chen says a large part of his research is devoted to unravelling a lot of the fundamental biology of the bacteria which he says is sensitive to antibiotics. He says TB is special in the sense that when a person gets infected and comes down with an active case of TB they need to be treated with a cocktail of antibiotics that simply boils down to the biology of the organism. He says if that antibiotic regimen or the dosing is not adhered to it can give rise to antibiotic resistance. In Saskatchewan, when a person is diagnosed with TB their treatment is tracked and administered through the public health arm of the healthcare system.
Dr. Chen says you don’t have to look too far back to see the impact of vaccines in light of the biggest break through during COVID 19 was when a working vaccine was deployed. And once they have a better grasp of biology of the bacteria, they will work with developing ways to boost efficacy for adults. Dr. Chen says his research is in the early stages and they have some candidates that they are hoping in the next couple of years will become vaccine candidates they can take into clinical trials.
“Unfortunately, the existing TB vaccine is not very effective in protecting adults from the pulmonary form of TB. And so, that’s why we need a new vaccine for TB.”
