[Description]
  Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the most widely administered vaccine in the world and induces protection against leprosy and severe forms of childhood tuberculosis, and bladder cancer.  BCG has some advantages, such as strong adjuvant activity, long-lasting effects, and safety, and evaluated for use as a vaccine vehicle.  We constructed several recombinant BCGs and have shown that those are effective against intractable diseases.  
  While, poor efficacy of BCG for adult pulmonary TB is a serious problem in controlling TB.  We have shown that loss of efficacy over time following vaccination with BCG even in mice model.  Majority of adult TB is arisen by reactivation from latent infection.  Although TB is the serious disease, we consider that eradication of it is possible if we can effectively prevent disease development including reactivation (Upper figure).  One of strategies is remaining latent infection by maintaining expression of growth suppressive molecule, such as MDP1 as described above.  We are also trying to develop new recombinant and booster vaccines against TB as shown in lower figure.  



Publications
  Matsumoto et al, Vaccine, 1996. Matsumoto et al, J Exp Med, 1998. Matsumoto et al, Vaccine, 2000, Yamada et al, J Urol, 2000, Ami et al, J Viol, 2005, Kanekiyo et al. J Viol, 2005, Matsumoto et al, J Immunol, 2005. Ozeki et al Vaccine, 2011.