P099

1:College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb), the causative agent of tuberculosis, continues to pose a significant global health burden, exacerbated by the variable protection offered by the only licensed TB vaccine, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), and the rise in antimicrobial resistance. These challenges highlight an urgent need for novel and broadly protective vaccines. Protective immunity against M.tb primarily involves T cells recognising epitopes presented via the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex; however, cumulative evidence also suggests a significant role for antibodies. This study employed immunoinformatics tools to identify promising vaccine candidates by predicting and analysing T-cell-associated epitopes from 30 highly expressed M.tb antigens previously reported. These antigens were computationally screened against a comprehensive range of globally prevalent HLA alleles, including HLA class I (A, B, C) and class II (DR, DQ, DP). Ten antigens consistently predicted to bind across all assessed alleles were selected, ensuring extensive population coverage. Subsequent computational simulations using C-ImmSim indicated that these antigens have the potential to induce robust cellular and humoral immune responses, highlighting their promise as candidates for next-generation TB vaccines. These findings provide a compelling rationale for further preclinical studies to validate their immunogenicity and protective efficacy.