BRACE Trial
Research area: Infection, Immunity and Global Health > Infectious Diseases | Status: Active

This Australian-led study is the world’s largest trial on the off-target effects of Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine.
The BRACE trial is investigating whether BCG vaccine reduces the incidence of symptomatic and severe COVID-19, as well as other respiratory illnesses and allergic diseases.
The BRACE trial is investigating whether BCG vaccine reduces the incidence of symptomatic and severe COVID-19, as well as other respiratory illnesses and allergic diseases.
The BRACE trial is investigating whether BCG vaccine reduces the incidence of symptomatic and severe COVID-19, as well as other respiratory illnesses and allergic diseases.
Overview
As well as preventing severe tuberculosis (TB) in children, the BCG vaccine has off-target (non-specific or immunomodulatory) effects which may enhance protection against other infections. That’s why this multi-centre, randomised controlled clinical trial is working to determine:
- Whether BCG vaccine reduces the incidence of symptomatic and severe COVID-19
- If BCG vaccine reduces the impact of other respiratory illnesses and allergic diseases
- The immunological mechanisms that underlie BCG’s off-target effects, COVID-19 severity and risks
- The safety profile of BCG vaccination and revaccination in adults
- If BCG alters the acquisition of latent TB in healthcare workers
- Biomarkers predictive of COVID-19 risk, severity and vaccine efficacy
Trial data
So far, the trial has generated:
Trial Symptom Tracker app entries:
355,000
Telephonista entries:
190,000
BRACE blood samples:
25,000
BCOS blood samples:
1,900
Clinic visits:
26,000
Surveys sent:
23,000
A cutting-edge study of BCG vaccines off-target effects
>6800
healthcare workers
36
study sites
5
countries
>400
researchers & staff
>335K
app check-ins
100
year-old vaccine
Contact us
The BRACE trial
Murdoch Children's Research Institute
The Royal Children's Hospital
50 Flemington Road
Parkville VIC 3052
Australia
Email: show email address
Information for participants
Thank you BRACE trial participants!
It's been three years since the BRACE trial began and investigators from Australia, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK and Brazil thank the almost 7,000 healthcare workers who signed up for taking part.
Your involvement has been an important contribution to the work to determine whether BCG’s ability to change immune responses reduces the severity of COVID-19 as well as other infectious and allergic diseases.
Every survey, blood sample, COVID-19 test and app or phone check-in mattered in this global effort to understand the potential benefits of BCG vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The trial’s primary outcomes were published in April 2023.
What participants need to know
The BRACE COVID-19-specific vaccine Sub-study (BCOS)
With philanthropic support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this is a sub-study to Murdoch Children’s Research Institute’s trial of Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine to reduce the impact of COVID-19
What to expect following BCG vaccination
Half of the healthcare workers received BCG vaccine to test whether it can protect those exposed to SARS-CoV-2 from developing severe symptoms by boosting their frontline immunity.
What should you know about BCG revaccination?
This information is specifically directed to, and only to be used by, medical professionals seeking additional information on the BRACE trial.
BCG vaccine and pregnancy, lactation
This information is specifically directed to, and only to be used by, medical professionals seeking additional information on the BRACE trial.
Read about BCG vaccine, pregnancy, lactation
BRACE trial Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to some common questions from BRACE trial participants and supporters.
Research team
Over 400 researchers and staff across five countries are involved in the BRACE BCG vaccine trial study team.
Professor Nigel Curtis, BRACE trial Chief Principal Investigator
Paediatric infectious diseases physician and clinician scientist. Professor Nigel Curtis is the leader of the Infectious Diseases Research Group at Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Professor of Paediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Melbourne and Head of Infectious Diseases at The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne.
The BRACE trial is a randomised controlled clinical trial working to determine if BCG vaccination reduces the impact of COVID-19 and other diseases in healthcare workers.
Since launching in March 2020, the trial has recruited over 6,800 participants in five countries.
Want to join the BRACE trial study team?
PhD Opportunities
If you’re interested in being part of the world’s largest study on the off-target effects of BCG vaccine, you’re in the right place. Based at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, the BRACE trial has some exciting clinical and immunological PhD projects.
International Principal Investigators from 36 sites
Victoria
Nigel Curtis
Tony Korman
Niki Tan
Western Australia
Peter Richmond
Laurens Manning
Michaela Lucas
South Australia
David Lynn
Simone Barry
Helen Marshall
New South Wales
Nicholas Wood
Mark Douglas
Brendan McMullan
Jeffrey Post
Anthony Byrne
Craig Munns
The Netherlands
Marc Bonten
Cristina Prat Aymerich
Jan Kluytmans
Wouter van den Bijllaardt
Jet Gisolf
Wim Boersma
Jaap ten Oever
Spain
Jesús Rodríguez Baño
Antoni Rosell
Tomás Perez Porcuna
Josune Goikoetxea
Maria Carmen Fariñ Álvarez
United Kingdom
John Campbell
Adilia Warris
Daniel Webber-Rookes
Alex Harding
James Moore
Michael Gibbons
Tamsin Venton
Brazil
Julio Croda
Margareth Dalcolmo
Marcus Lacerda
Bruno Jardim
A global effort to study BCG off-target effects
- The Royal Children's Hospital (Melbourne)
- The University of Melbourne
- Telethon Kids Institute (TKI)
- South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI)
- National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance
- University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht
- The University of Exeter
- Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS)
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz)
- Tropical Medicine Foundation Doctor Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD)
The BRACE trial – one year on
Professor Curtis, international Principal Investigators, Ann Ginsberg of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the global study team celebrate one year since the trial began.
Feature videos

BRACE marks Clinical Trials Day 2021
Hear from Ann Ginsberg, of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, about how the BRACE trial has risen to the challenge of running the largest BCG vaccine study for healthcare workers during the global pandemic.

BRACE in Brazil
Hear from our Brazilian investigators Professor Julio Croda and Professor Margareth Dalcolmo about how the multinational BCG vaccine study is going, and what will happen next.

Go behind the scenes
Take a peek inside the world’s largest trial on the off-target effects of BCG vaccine. See inside our clinics and laboratories across five countries as the study team prepares for the six-month primary outcomes.

Women and Girls in Science
Dr Nicole Messina, BRACE Biosample and Laboratory Lead, met budding young Melbourne scientist Maddie, 6-years-old, for International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11th February 2022.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news, BCG vaccine research, videos and results from across the trial
Who is enrolled in the BRACE trial across our 36 sites?
- Australia 50%
- Europe 15%
- Brazil 35%
Trial updates

BRACE biosample and laboratory lead, Dr Nicole Messina, receives NHMRC Ideas Grant.
November 2021

Our BCG vaccine trial joins global race to better understand COVID-19 variants.
June 2021

Could BCG vaccine protect against COVID-19? UK recruitment begins.
October 2020

$10M grant enables MCRI’s BCG vaccine trial to expand internationally
May 2020

Murdoch Children's to trial preventative vaccine for COVID-19 healthcare workers
March 2020

Brace trial timeline
This graphic shows the timeline of the BRACE trial.
Read the latest global media coverage
As flu cases surge, vaccination may offer some bonus protection from COVID as well
The Conversation, May 2022
The Global race to Understand COVID-19 variants
The University of Melbourne, June 2021
COVID-19 cross-protection? When vaccines provide 'bonus' protection against other diseases
ABC News Australia, January 2021
Institute starts study in Manaus to assess whether BCG vaccine can reduce impacts of Covid-19 (Portuguese)
Globo News, January 2021
BCG vaccine trial extends across Devon, in partnership with RD&E
Exeter Daily, January 2021
How Some Vaccines Protect Against More than Their Targets
The Scientist, November 2020
BRACE trial videos
See more BRACE videos on YouTube.
Professor Nigel Curtis: BCG Vaccine, COVID-19 and the BRACE trial
The Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine is designed to protect against tuberculosis (TB). However, it also boosts immunity to protect against other infections.
BRACE trial in the media
This Australian-led study is the world’s largest trial on the off-target effects of Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine. More than 6,800 healthcare workers are enrolled in Australia, Brazil, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
For more any media enquiries please contact us below:
Media enquiries
Bridie Byrne, Media Manager
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Collaborators
- The Royal Children's Hospital (Melbourne)
- The University of Melbourne
- Telethon Kids Institute (TKI)
- South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI)
- National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance
- University Medical Center Utrecht (UMC) Utrecht
- The University of Exeter
- Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS)
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz)
- Tropical Medicine Foundation Doctor Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD)
With the support of visionary philanthropists, the BRACE trial has become the largest study of its kind worldwide.
Our donors
A special thank you to our generous donors.
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Minderoo Foundation
- The Royal Children's Hospital Foundation
- Sarah and Lachlan Murdoch
- Health Services Union NSW
- Peter Sowerby Foundation
- SA Health
- The Insurance Advisernet Foundation
- NAB Foundation
- The Calvert Jones Foundation
- Modara Pines Charitable Foundation
- UHG Foundation Pty Ltd
- Epworth HealthCare
- Individual donors
The face of BRACE
BRACE is a randomised controlled trial that includes over 6,800 healthcare workers recruited in 36 sites across five countries to assess whether the off-target effects of Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination reduce the incidence of symptomatic and severe COVID-19. The study is also investigating whether BCG vaccine reduces the impact of other illnesses, such as respiratory illnesses and allergic diseases.
In April 2021, the trial introduced the BRACE COVID-19-Specific vaccine sub-study (BCOS) to explore whether it’s possible to predict who remains susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 variants despite previous COVID-19 infection or COVID-19-specific vaccination. The sub-study will look at whether BCG vaccine improves the immune response to Pfizer, AstraZeneca and CoronaVac vaccines.
So far, the international study team of over 400 researchers and staff have collected more than a quarter of a million samples, attracted a global media audience of over five billion people and secured $15 million-plus in philanthropic funding – and all this with a 100-year-old vaccine.
Corporate Partnerships
Cale Wilkinson
Trusts & Foundations Manager
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Engagement & Philanthropy team
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Learn about BCG vaccine research
The BCG vaccine has been studied for several years to better understand its off-target effects. Some notable BCG research papers include:
BRACE Protocol & SAP
- BCG vaccination to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in healthcare workers: Protocol for a randomised controlled trial (BRACE trial). BMJ Open, 2021
- BRACE trial SAP
BRACE Primary Outcomes
- Randomized Trial of BCG Vaccine to Protect against Covid-19 in Health Care Workers. The New England Journal of Medicine, 2023
- BCG to Protect against Covid-19 in Health Care Workers. The New England Journal of Medicine, 2023
BRACE Exploratory Outcomes
- Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination for protection against recurrent herpes labialis: a nested randomised controlled trial. eClinicalMedicine, 2023
BRACE Immunology Studies
- Off-target effects of bacillus Calmette–Guérin vaccination on immune responses to SARS-CoV-2: implications for protection against severe COVID-19. Clinical & Translational Immunology, 2022
BRACE Safety
- Safety of BCG vaccination and revaccination in healthcare workers. Human Vaccine Immunotherapeutics, 2023
- Factors influencing scar formation following Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination. Heliyon, 2023
- Revaccination with Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is associated with an increased risk of abscess and lymphadenopathy. NPJ Vaccines, 2022
- The safety of BCG revaccination: A systematic review. Vaccine. 2021
Reviews
- Interpreting the results of trials of BCG vaccination for protection against COVID-19. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2023
- Bacille Calmette Guérin (BCG) and new TB vaccines: Specific, cross-mycobacterial and off-target effects. Paediatric Respiratory Reviews, 2020
- The influence of BCG on vaccine responses – a systematic review. Expert Review of Vaccines, 2018
Other
- Impact of vaccine platform and BCG vaccination on antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccination. Frontiers in Immunology, 2023
- Considering BCG vaccination to reduce the impact of COVID-19. The Lancet, 2020
- Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination and COVID-19. World Health Organization (WHO), 2020
Professor Nigel Curtis in Murdoch Children's Research Institute Annual Showcase 2020.
Can a 100-year-old vaccine protect healthcare workers against COVID-19?
Professor Nigel Curtis is a paediatric infectious diseases physician and clinician scientist and leader of the Infectious Diseases Research Group at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute.
See more BRACE videos on YouTube.
Can a 100-year-old vaccine protect healthcare workers against COVID-19?
Professor Nigel Curtis is a paediatric infectious diseases physician and clinician scientist and leader of the Infectious Diseases Research Group at the Murdoch Children's...
Can a 100-year-old vaccine protect healthcare workers against COVID-19?
Professor Nigel Curtis is a paediatric infectious diseases physician and clinician scientist and leader of the Infectious Diseases Research Group at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute.
See more BRACE videos on YouTube.