Johns Hopkins Develops Nasal DNA Vaccine for Tuberculosis

New vaccine aims to boost immune response and improve treatment for drug-resistant TB strains.

Apr. 2, 2026 at 4:48am

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Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Bloomberg School of Public Health have developed a therapeutic intranasal (nose-delivered) DNA vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) that fuses two genes with the goal of directing the immune system to fight drug-tolerant bacterial "persisters" that can survive prolonged antibiotic therapy and contribute to disease relapse.

Why it matters

TB is a leading cause of death from infectious disease worldwide, with over 10 million new cases and 1.2 million deaths reported in 2024 alone. The new Johns Hopkins vaccine shows promise for use alongside drug therapies to shorten treatment regimens and improve outcomes, particularly against drug-resistant TB strains.

The details

The vaccine fuses the rel Mtb gene, which helps TB bacteria survive hostile conditions, with the Mip3α gene to attract immature dendritic cells that present TB proteins to T cells. Delivered intranasally, the vaccine aims to generate durable, antigen-stimulated T-cell responses in the respiratory tract where TB infection occurs. In mouse studies, this approach increased dendritic cell recruitment and activation, improved dendritic cell-T cell organization in the lungs, and generated both local and systemic CD4 and CD8 T-cell responses. Similar immune responses were seen in rhesus macaques, suggesting the vaccine's potential for translation to humans.

  • The research findings were published on April 2, 2026 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

The players

Styliani Karanika, M.D.

The lead author of the study, a faculty member of the Johns Hopkins Center for Tuberculosis Research and assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Johns Hopkins Medicine

The academic medical center where the research was conducted.

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

The public health school that collaborated on the research.

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What they’re saying

“Administered together with first-line TB drug therapy, our intranasal DNA fusion vaccine helped infected mice clear the disease bacteria faster, reduced lung inflammation and prevented relapse after treatment ended.”

— Styliani Karanika, M.D., Lead author of the study

“These nonhuman primate data are encouraging because they show that the Mip3α/rel Mtb vaccine can generate durable, antigen-stimulated immune responses in an animal model whose immune system more closely resembles that of humans. That gives us an important translational bridge between the mouse efficacy studies and the additional preclinical work needed before human trials.”

— Styliani Karanika, M.D., Lead author of the study

What’s next

The researchers say more studies are needed before any human clinical trials can be approved for the new TB vaccine.

The takeaway

This intranasal DNA vaccine represents a promising new approach to boosting the immune system's ability to fight tuberculosis, particularly drug-resistant strains, and could help shorten treatment regimens and improve outcomes for this deadly infectious disease.