Opportunities and challenges for mRNA vaccines against tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) vaccine development remains challenging due to the complex biology of M. tuberculosis infection and the absence of established correlates of protection. mRNA platforms can induce strong systemic humoral and effector immunity and offer several potential advantages; however, limited lung-localised immunity may restrict current formulations. This Perspective examines these challenges and discusses strategies to optimise mRNA vaccine design, formulation and delivery to improve protective immunity against TB.
Authors
- Claudio Counoupas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0283-4004)
- James A. Triccas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3730-2339)
- Hannah J. Lukeman
- Elizabeth H. Chan
Institutions
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- Centenary Institute (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Vaccines
- Published
- 2026-08-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41541-026-01566-x
- Primary Topic
- RNA Interference and Gene Delivery
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Health and Medical Research Council