On Friday, the former director-general of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Dr. Shekhar Mande, stated that the clinical trials for the new BCG vaccine will begin shortly. While addressing the ongoing Indian Science Congress, he gave a presentation on "Biophysical Methods in Tuberculosis Research." In his presentation, he spoke about how technology has helped doctors and researchers understand TB better, paving ways to combat infectious diseases.

During his session, he added that the CSIR is working towards rapid diagnosis, vaccination, and treatment to eliminate the bacterial disease from India by 2025, as envisioned by the central government. He stated that the research institute is focusing on new medicines and drugs for tuberculosis.

He revealed that the National Institute of Tuberculosis Research, Chennai, will start clinical trials of the new BCG vaccine for TB. He revealed that at present, the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine is being primarily used against tuberculosis.

While commenting on the TB elimination goals, he stated that it is a huge challenge as the TB load in India is extremely high. He revealed that more than 30% of the population is already infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis; however, less than 90% of this 30% of people develop TB in their lifetime.