Improving an oral BCG vaccine for preventing tuberculosis
Official title: Oral BCG: Optimizing mucosal vaccination against tuberculosis
Funded at University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh · NIH-11324560 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Seeing if giving the BCG vaccine by mouth can better protect adults from tuberculosis than the standard injected vaccine.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | April 24, 2025 |
| Project end | March 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,202,881 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI183902-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11324560 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (21+) at risk for tuberculosis or healthy adults willing to enroll in vaccine-related clinical research would be the most likely candidates for related human trials.
✕Less likely to help
People with active TB disease, infants, or those who cannot receive live vaccines (for example, some immunocompromised individuals) would likely not benefit directly from this work in the short term.
What this research studies
Researchers will first refine an oral formulation and dosing schedule for the BCG vaccine. They will then compare the protection from oral BCG to intravenous and intradermal (standard) BCG in animal models using advanced imaging and detailed immune tests. The team will analyze innate and adaptive immune responses using systems serology and single-cell RNA sequencing. Finally, computational modeling will search for immune signatures that predict whether the vaccine protects against infection.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to a safer, more effective and easier-to-deliver oral TB vaccine that improves prevention worldwide.
How similar studies have gone: Previous macaque studies showed very strong protection with intravenous BCG and oral BCG has historical safety and some success in infants, but modern head-to-head comparisons and detailed immune correlates are limited.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lin, Philana Ling — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Lin, Philana Ling
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.