The role of immunoinformatics in the development of T-cell peptide-based vaccines against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major health problem worldwide. The BCG, the only authorized vaccine to fight TB, shows a variable protection in the adult population highlighting the need of a new vaccine. Immunoinformatics offers a variety of tools that can predict immunogenic T-cell peptides of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) that can be used to create a new vaccine. Immunoinformatics has made possible the identification of immunogenic T-cell peptides of Mtb that have been tested in vitro showing a potential for using these molecules as part of a new TB vaccine.

Areas covered

This review summarizes the most common immunoinformatics tools to identify immunogenic T-cell peptides and presents a compilation about research studies that have identified T-cell peptides of Mtb by using immunoinformatics. Also, it is provided a summary of the TB vaccines undergoing clinical trials.

Expert opinion

In the next few years, the field of peptide-based vaccines will keep growing along with the development of more efficient and sophisticated immunoinformatic tools to identify immunogenic peptides with a greater accuracy.

KEYWORDS:

• Tuberculosis
• peptide vaccine
• T-cell peptides
• immunoinformatics
• Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Article highlights

• BCG is not effective to protect against TB in adulthood; therefore it Is necessary the development of a new vaccine.

• Immunoinformatics offers the possibility to identify immunogenic T-cell peptides in a more time/cost effective way than traditional isolation and purification techniques.

• T-cell peptide-based vaccines have demonstrated promising results in the fight against infectious diseases and even cancer.

• Immunoinformatics has made possible the identification of immunogenic T-cell peptides of Mtb that have been tested in vitro showing a potential for using these molecules as part of a new TB vaccine.

Author contributions

David Ortega-Tirado wrote the original draft and gathered the necessary information to write the article, Aldo A. Arvizu-Flores and Carlos Velazquez participated in the editing process of the article, Adriana Garibay-Escobar participated in the writing and editing process of the article.

Acknowledgments

We thank Universidad de Sonora for the help granted to carry out this manuscript.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT) under grant no. 83224.