Researchers at McGill University Health Center have found that BCG, an old tuberculosis vaccine, also protects against influenza A, indicating the potential for protection against a wide range of viruses, including COVID-19. . This breakthrough could have a major impact on future vaccine development.
Canada’s flu season collides with record strep A infections, still underway COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) However, new research sheds light on our understanding of the respiratory immune response. Scientists at the Research Institute at McGill University Health Center (RI-MUHC) have discovered a surprising aspect about the century-old tuberculosis vaccine, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG).
Research published in journals innate immunologyrevealed a previously unknown mechanism that extends the vaccine shield to fight influenza A virus—Most prevalent influenza strains.
Impact on vaccine development
“The immune interactions involved here can ‘train’ the lungs, which are frequently exposed to infectious agents in the environment. “Unraveling the protective immune pathways that involve the lungs will revolutionize conceptual and clinical approaches to vaccine development for infectious diseases, including emerging respiratory viruses,” said lead author, pulmonary immunologist and senior RI professor Researcher Majyar Dibangahi explains. -MUHC, Professor, McGill University School of Medicine.
This finding paves the way for future studies to evaluate whether BCG can be used to prevent other emerging viruses. Notably, research into vaccine protection against COVID-19 has shown promising results.
Reference: “BCG immunization provides CX3CR1hi effector memory T cells with cross-protection via IFN-γ-mediated trained immunity” (Kim A. Tran, Erwan Pernet, Mina Sadeghi, Jeffrey Downey, Julia Chronopoulos, Elizabeth Lapsina, Oscar Tsai, Eva) Kaufman, Jun Ding, Majyar Divangahi, January 15, 2024, innate immunology.
DOI: 10.1038/s41590-023-01739-z
