Training the pig’s innate immune system to enhance vaccine mediated protection

In this project it will be investigated if trained immunity in pigs can lead to an enhanced vaccine mediated protection. The collaborative partners have already worked together in the past and will continue their fruitful partnership. Scientists from Utrecht University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Immunology division will gain more knowledge on the novel concept of trained immunity in pigs and its consequences for adaptive immune responsiveness.This knowledge can be translated by Zoetis for the development or improvement of vaccines against important veterinary pathogens.

Although trained immunity has been reported in plants, invertebrates, mice, and humans, little is known about this process in species of veterinary relevance. This is surprising, since in livestock farming vaccination of young animals is common practice. Since these young animals lack a fully developed adaptive immune system innate immune responsiveness is likely to play a dominant role in shaping vaccine mediated protection.

In this project a laboratory assay was developed to measure training of innate immune cells from pigs. Using this assay, three compounds were identified that have the potential to induce innate training of porcine immune cells. Next the train capacity of innate immune cells was compared from very young pigs and older pigs. Interestingly, both innate immune cells from neonatal pigs and from piglets post weaning could be trained in our assay. Taken together, for the first time it has been demonstrated that the training of porcine innate immune cells in vitro, and identified compounds that are able to train the innate immune system of pigs. The next step will be to asses whether porcine innate immune cells can also be trained in vivo.