A research team at Yonsei University College of Medicine has developed a new strategy using dendritic cells to enhance both prevention and treatment of tuberculosis (TB).

TB remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the top three global infectious threats.

It is estimated that around 25 percent of the global population, over two billion people, carry the TB pathogen.

While the bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine has been the only available TB vaccine for a century, its effectiveness is largely limited to severe forms of extrapulmonary TB in children, with little protection against pulmonary TB in adolescents and adults.

The rise of antibiotic-resistant TB strains has further underscored the urgent need for new therapeutic and preventive solutions.

The Yonsei University College of Medicine research team, led by Professors Shin Sung-jae and Kim Hong-min of the Department of Microbiology, focused on dendritic cells, which are antigen-presenting cells that detect invading pathogens, process them, and activate T cells to initiate immune defense.

Professor Kim Jong-seok of the Department of Microbiology at Konyang University College of Medicine also participated in the study.

In the team’s experiments, mice vaccinated with BCG were additionally administered dendritic cells activated with TB antigens.

Within a week of TB infection, these mice showed a rapid increase of T cells targeting TB in lung tissue. After 10 weeks, bacterial growth was suppressed by more than 90 percent compared with the BCG-only group.

Notably, the mice developed higher levels of multifunctional T cells capable of secreting IFN-γ, IL-2, and TNF-α simultaneously, cytokines essential for controlling TB infection, as well as long-lasting tissue-resident memory T cells.

Unlike the diminishing protection seen with BCG alone, the combined BCG and dendritic cell approach maintained its protective effect for more than 30 weeks.

The strategy also enhanced antibiotic efficacy. Mice treated with both antibiotics and dendritic cells had over 90 percent greater reduction of TB bacteria compared to those receiving antibiotics alone.

The approach proved effective against latent TB reactivation and drug-resistant tuberculosis strains, demonstrating its potential as a versatile platform for tackling multiple stages of the disease.

“This study is meaningful not only because it enhances vaccine efficacy, but also because it presents a principle for a next-generation TB control strategy applicable throughout the disease process,” Professor Shin said. “To control complex and long-term infections such as TB, we need integrated approaches that bridge prevention and therapy. Dendritic cell-based technology is a highly promising platform to realize this vision.”

The findings were published in the Journal of Advanced Research.