India's indigenous TB vaccine candidate KochVac has moved to its next phase of review. Scientists from IIT Bhubaneswar, the Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) Bhubaneswar and industry partner TechInvention Lifecare met in New Delhi on September 25, 2026, to chart the vaccine's path toward further translational development.

KochVac was developed jointly by IIT Bhubaneswar and ILS. The candidate, a subunit vaccine based on the Hsp16.3C4 antigen, has completed preclinical trials with what researchers describe as strong immune responses and no adverse effects. The technology has been licensed to TechInvention Lifecare for commercialisation.

At the meeting, IIT Bhubaneswar Director Prof. Shreepad Karmalkar stressed industry-academia teamwork, while ILS Director Dr. Debasis Dash said specialist TB expertise would guide the next development phases. The vaccine is named after Robert Koch, who first identified the TB bacterium.

What happens next: the partners will advance KochVac through further evaluation stages. With TB still killing over a million people a year, according to the WHO, an indigenous vaccine could cut India's dependence on foreign vaccines.