Research Theme

• Development of molecular biological technology for acid-fast bacteria

Keyword

• Mycobacterial infection
• Vaccine Development

Overview of Research

• Tuberculosis, leprosy, and non-tuberculous mycobacteriosis (NTM), which has attracted much attention in recent years, are known as mycobacterial infections. As vaccine for mycobacteriosis, BCG has been established for many years as a vaccine against tuberculosis and is highly safe. Therefore, our goal is to create a new recombinant BCG vaccine by modifying BCG. However, BCG is surrounded by a thick lipid layer and grows rate very slowly, making genetic manipulation of the bacillus more difficult compared to other bacterial species. Therefore, we are developing basic technologies for gene transfer, disruption, expression, excision, replacement and detection.