IMMUNOLOGY2026™ Conference Recordings For Attendees-BCG vaccine induces distinct metabolic shifts in monocytes in vitro and peripheral blood plasma in vivo: Implications for neonatal trained immunity

BCG vaccine induces distinct metabolic shifts in monocytes in vitro and peripheral blood plasma in vivo: Implications for neonatal trained immunity

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The speaker described research on how BCG, the world’s most widely used TB vaccine, may provide benefits beyond tuberculosis, especially when given at birth. Epidemiologic studies and a randomized trial showed lower infant mortality and fewer respiratory and sepsis hospitalizations in BCG-vaccinated children. The work focuses on “trained immunity,” where vaccination reprograms innate immune cells through metabolic and epigenetic changes.<br /><br />Using a human newborn/adult monocyte model called MOTRA, the team found arginine biosynthesis was the most consistently enriched pathway after BCG in both age groups. In newborns, BCG training also altered lipid metabolism, fatty acid pathways, glycolysis, and the TCA cycle, suggesting distinct neonatal immunometabolic responses. Comparing in vitro data with blood from vaccinated newborns in the Gambia showed overlapping metabolic shifts, supporting that the model reflects in vivo biology. Overall, BCG appears to induce neonatal-trained immunity through specific metabolic reprogramming, with potential implications for infant survival and future vaccine design.

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Date April 16, 2026 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM

Room 156

Session Understanding Immune Responses to Optimize Immune Intervention

Speaker Asimenia Angelidou

Track Translational and Interventional Immunology (TI)

Year 2026

Keywords

BCG vaccine

trained immunity

neonatal immunometabolism

arginine biosynthesis

infant mortality

April 16, 2026 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM

156

Understanding Immune Responses to Optimize Immune Intervention

Asimenia Angelidou

Translational and Interventional Immunology (TI)

2026