This collaboration resulted in a TB vaccine candidate containing the Mtb antigen Ag85B-p25 and C5 peptide in a replication-incompetent bovine adenovirus vector (BAdv85C5), a candidate that has shown significant success in murine studies. Jagannath and his team demonstrated that this strategy results in strong antigen presentation and excellent immune protection against TB, whether used as a booster after vaccination with BCG or as a single intranasal dose. Their article describing this notable work was published in the August 2021 issue of Cell Reports Medicine, and Jagannath and Mittal are the primary applicants on a patent for this vaccine platform. The research team is currently completing the preclinical studies and have submitted an NHP vaccine validation grant to the National Institutes of Health to test the vaccine, which will pave the way for human studies.

Developing a safe and effective vaccine is a marathon, not a sprint, and Jagannath made it clear he is in it for the duration when he said, “Children are tomorrow’s generation, so I’m working full time to get a TB vaccine developed that will protect them safely and effectively from TB.”