Research Theme

• Development of a highly sensitive detection and quantitative evaluation system for Mycobacterium tuberculosis for vaccine efficacy assessment

Keyword

• Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• Exhaled bioaerosols
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Overview of Research

• In tuberculosis vaccine development, the establishment of an evaluation system capable of accurately determining protective efficacy is essential. Conventional culture methods and pathological evaluations lack sufficient sensitivity, are time-consuming to obtain results, and make it difficult to capture differences in small amounts of residual bacteria or inhibition of growth. With new vaccines, it is necessary to quantitatively evaluate not only complete protection but also partial effects such as reduction of bacterial load and delayed growth. Therefore, developing a system that can detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis with high sensitivity and quantify bacterial load rapidly and reproducibly is important for rationally comparing the efficacy of candidate vaccines, elucidating their mechanisms of action, and bridging the gap from preclinical to clinical trials.