Remodelling of immune system by TB vaccine may explain its link with lower Alzheimer's risk: Study
A study published in Communications Medicine suggests that the BCG tuberculosis vaccine may help reduce Alzheimer's disease risk by reprogramming the brain's immune cells. Researchers observed that the vaccine promotes 'trained immunity,' which can modify Alzheimer's-related biomarkers in older adults.
Why it matters
This research offers a potential low-cost, preventative strategy for neurodegenerative diseases by leveraging existing vaccine technology to modulate the immune system.
The remodelling of the human brain's immune environment by the tuberculosis vaccine BCG could offer a potential biological explanation for previously observed links between the vaccine and lower Alzheimer's disease risk, according to a study.
Delivered through the skin, the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine is administered to infants and young children to protect against the bacterial infectious disease marked by severe cough and chest pain, among other symptoms.
Findings published in the journal Communications Medicine show that BCG promoted an increased responsiveness in immune cells surrounding the brain and modified Alzheimer's-related biomarkers in healthy, older adults with no physical changes due to the neurodegenerative condition.
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