The genetic reconstruction of BCG as a new immunotherapeutic tool.
The bacillus of Calmette and Guérin (BCG), long appreciated for its role as a live vaccine for the prevention of tuberculosis, is undergoing a rebirth as a recombinant delivery vehicle for foreign antigens and bioactive proteins. Recombinant BCG causes long-lived specific humoral and cellular immunity and may ultimately prove to be a powerful and cost-effective new weapon against both infectious pathogens and certain cancers.
O'Donnell
M A
MA
Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Division of Urology, Boston, MA 02215, USA. modonnel@bidmc.harvard.edu
D000818:Animals; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000639:trends*; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*