New immunotherapeutic approach for the treatment of TB
23 August 2005
New research published today in Infection and Immunity has found that a high dose of Intravenous Immunoglobin (IVIg) has a greater effect in reducing the numbers of Tuberculosis (TB) organisms than the bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination.
The research, led by Dr Stephen Jolles (Consultant Clinical Immunologist at the Royal Free Hospital) took place at the Medical Research Council’s National Institute for Medical Research and is funded by the MRC Technology Development Gap Fund. The results showed that high dose IVIg enhanced the immune response to TB and produced a 100 fold reduction in the numbers of TB organisms in a mouse model, in both the early and late infection stages of TB infection.
The study found that the reduction in TB organisms was long lasting after a single treatment cycle of IVIg suggesting an enhanced immune response. This effect was lost if the same study was carried out in a mouse lacking T cells, the white blood cells critical to the immune response against TB. This suggests that these T cells may mediate the immune enhancing effect of IVIg.
Tuberculosis is responsible for over two million deaths annually and BCG, the only current licensed vaccination, is not effective in the developing world. Current conventional treatments for TB involve the combination of antibiotics over a long period of time. The associated side effects of this treatment, coupled with the increase in multi-drug resistant TB, means that new strategies to tackle the disease are needed.
IVIg is already a commonly used product consisting of human antibodies purified from plasma donations. It is currently used at replacement doses to treat immunodeficient patients who are unable to make their own antibodies. It is also used at high dose to treat a range of autoimmune and inflammatory conditions such as Guillain Barre syndrome (an inflammation of nerves) dermatomyositis (an inflammation of muscles and skin) and skin blistering diseases.
Dr Jolles said: “These are encouraging results as this type of therapy uses the existing immune response and is likely to be effective even with drug resistant organisms. IVIg is a licensed product with an excellent safety record so these results suggest further research in a clinical setting is possible.”
For further information, or to arrange an interview, contact the MRC Press Office on 020 7637 6011.
Note to Editors
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