Grant: Project Grant

Uncontrolled intestinal inflammation is common among people with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). There is an urgent need for effective strategies to control inflammation. Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) is the most widely administered vaccine against tuberculosis (TB). Over the last 15 years, diverse clinical trials have established that the BCG vaccine has additional clinical benefits called heterologous, off-target, or nonspecific effects. These terms indicate beneficial human clinical effects for diseases other than TB. Current clinical trials are using BCG therapy to prevent autoimmune diabetes, multiple sclerosis and allergies. In line with this evidence, we propose that protective signatures of BCG could be applied to IBD. Our preliminary data suggest that early-life BCG vaccination suppresses colitis. We aim to elucidate the mechanism by which BCG drives immune responses to control intestinal inflammation. Our results may provide evidence that BCG or its derivative could be used to control IBD.