Roadmap for the development of candidate vaccine for bTB

What are we trying to achieve and why? What is the problem we are trying to solve?

Identify the mechanisms operating in immune animals, establishing the role of Abs and CMI in preventing and
containing infection.

What are the scientific and technological challenges
(knowledge gaps needing to be addressed)?

What approaches could/should be taken to address the research question?

• Comparison of the innate immune responses of animals that are genetically “resistant” versus susceptible.
• To identify the role of CMI and Ab in providing protection against infection – passive transfer experiments; identity of cell types responding in recall responses.
• To establish the role of the various cell types and cytokine responses in preventing/clearing infection
• To characterise the cytokine and cellular responses in granulomas at different stages of infection – how are infections walled of and become dormant
• Identify disease stage biomarkers
• Identify biomarkers of immunity

What else needs to be done before we can solve this need?

An improved understanding of host pathogen interaction at the level of the infected cells.
The genome sequence of various M bovis isolates, BCG and M TB

Existing knowledge including successes and failures