Vaccine for Mycobacterium Tuberculosis

The goal of this investigation is to develop the invasin gene as a vaccine against M. tuberculosishuman host. Up to the present time, the only known and generally accepted vaccine-BCG-is a living athas shown variable efficacy in the countries where it has been used. Although efforts by other invesof obtaining non-viable vaccine have not proved successful, the concept of a new candidate vaccine cpriority. The cloned invasin, in combination with selected adjuvants will be evaluated for protectioand disease in a mouse model. The designed proposal will investigate the immunoprotective potentialThe investigators will i) immunize mice using the invasin protein, ii) characterize the immune resptuberculosis to the invasin protein, and iii) produce monoclonal antibodies and mouse T cell lines ainvasin protein. Parts i and ii will be addressed in the first six months of the grant period. Partsubsequent years.