TUBERCULOSIS VACCINE GETS A FACELIFT The vaccination against tuberculosis (TB) is based on the injection of Bacillus Calemtte Guerin (BCG) to the susceptible individuals. In addition, the enhanced immune response induced by BCG has been utilized in the treatment of certain types of human cancers. Now, the investigators at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology report newly engineered forms of BCG. The genes for various cytokines, which are the major proteins involved in the immune response, have been introduced in the microorganisms. As compared to the parental BCG, the newly engineered microorganisms were 10 times more effective in induction of the immune response in mice. More work is in progress to test the ability of these microorganisms in induction of protection against TB and in fight against different types of human cancers.