Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Our immune system has two main parts: the fast-acting innate immune system and the more specialized adaptive immune system. Vaccines usually work by training the adaptive system, but some infections and diseases are not well controlled by this classical approach. Recent discoveries show that vaccines can also "train" the innate immune system, creating a protective memory-like state called trained immunity. However, people do not all respond to vaccines in the same way. Genetics, chronic infections, and allergies shape each person's "baseline" immune status, but we still do not know how these differences affect the signals that drive trained immunity. It is also unknown whether trained immunity can directly protect against allergic inflammation. Our research aims to understand how different immune environments shape the induction of trained immunity and whether trained-immunity vaccines can improve allergic outcomes. These insights will support the development of next-generation vaccines that can be tailored to individual risk factors and could lead to innovative treatments for asthma and other allergic diseases.