After an 80-year gap, human trials of a new tuberculosis vaccine are due to
start. If the vaccine is successful it could save millions of lives each year.
TB jabs use a weakened form of the bacterium that causes the disease in
cows—Bacille Calmette-Guérin. BCG gives good protection for about
10 years but then it wears off, and booster shots have little effect. Now Helen
McShane at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford is starting trials with a
modified cowpox virus that carries a TB antigen. Used as a booster after BCG,
the new vaccine should give a…
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features

Technology
US government wants to have a useful quantum computer by 2028
News

Life
Childbirth for many primate species is even harder than for humans
News

Humans
Humans sleep the least of all apes – is it the secret to our success?
Features

ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû1000¼¯ºÏ
Your menstrual cycle may affect how well vaccines work
News
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
Remote-controlled cockroach swarm can now breathe underwater
2
Where, when and how to watch the 2026 solar eclipse
3
If you aren't terrified by this heatwave, you should be
4
Ancient human DNA found on cave art for the first time
5
Humans sleep the least of all apes – is it the secret to our success?
6
Our verdict on The Selfish Gene: An unpopular piece of popular science
7
We’ve uncovered a master gene that switches on human development
8
Childbirth for many primate species is even harder than for humans
9
You should turn off fans when it's too hot – but how hot is too hot?
10
I have a 100 per cent chance of getting cancer due to a rare gene