Title:Design of a Novel Genetically Engineered Vaccine Against Mycobacterium leprae
Volume: 14
Issue: 2
Author(s): Chandiaserasekeran S. Devi, Prithwijit Sarkar, Shreya Bhagavatula, Shruti Chatterjee, Saumya D. Sisoudiya, Carolyn John and Vaithilingam Mohanasrinivasan
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Mycobacterium leprae, leprosy, immuno-dominant antigen, Mycobacterium smegmatis, genetically
engineered vaccine.
Abstract: Leprosy, caused by Mycobacterium leprae is a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nervous
system, causing permanent damage to the nerves, skin and limbs. It mainly affects the people living below the
poverty. The current immunization strategies against leprosy like the BCG vaccine face several limitations
and thus there is a need for an effective counter measure. The main aim was to design a vaccine with a genetically
modified strain of the non-pathogenic Mycobacterium smegmatis which over-expressed the immunedominant
protein that would induce a strong, non-toxic cell-mediated immune response, and the production of
memory cells would lead to successful immunization against leprosy.