A new tool for accelerating tuberculosis vaccine development

Inhaled aerosol BCG was well tolerated by healthy adults who had no previous exposure to either M tuberculosis or BCG. [...]the successful recovery of BCG from the lungs after aerosol inhalation considerably strengthens the feasibility of using this approach to evaluate the effectiveness of potential vaccines. [...]the study suggests the feasibility of administering a BCG vaccine via inhaled aerosol to humans—a vaccination strategy that is gaining attention given its potency for inducing robust respiratory mucosal immunity, which cannot be achieved with injectable vaccines.8,9 However, ensuring the safety of delivering BCG through inhaled aerosols requires comprehensive evaluation across various scenarios. The study also underscores the importance of addressing key variables in the BCG aerosol human challenge model, including ensuring the accuracy of the aerosol delivery device, adjusting the dose of BCG owing to potential viability changes during long-term storage, and refining bronchoalveolar lavage techniques for consistent BCG recovery.