Scientists explain how the TB vaccine protects against other diseases

In a study published in the journal ‘Cell Reports’, the research shows that the broad-spectrum effects of the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine could be mediated by metabolic and epigenetic changes in white blood cells called monocytes in a process called ‘trained immunity’. The discovery could allow for the development of strategies that combine immunological and metabolic stimulation to boost the effectiveness of vaccines and anti-cancer therapies. ‘The implications findings are double: On the one hand, we have uncovered new biological interactions that link cellular metabolism with immune responses, and on the other hand, we have opened the door for new therapeutic approaches in which metabolism modulators modulate innate immune responses and can serve as potential novel immunotherapies,’ commented senior study author Mihai Netea. ‘However, what it is important to realise is that this is the beginning of the process to bring this to clinical practice, and more studies are needed for...