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While anticipating the development of a COVID-19-specific vaccine, several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) explored the potential of BCG vaccination to protect against COVID-19, based on trials demonstrating beneficial effects of BCG vaccination on unrelated infections and all-cause mortality in neonates in high-mortality geographical settings. Results are now available from 12 RCTs, which suggest that BCG vaccination is not an effective intervention against COVID-19. That the BCG–COVID-19 trials failed to meet expectation emphasizes the importance of rigorous clinical trials to validate hypotheses, even in urgent situations such as a pandemic.
In this Comment article, the authors alert us to recent studies of ancient DNA that advance our understanding of the origins of autoimmune disease, providing evidence that our disease risk has been shaped by pathogen-driven evolution.
A study in Nature Biotechnology investigated context-specific host–microorganisms interactions by using spatial transcriptomics to profile gene expression of host and microbial genes simultaneously.
Genetic variants are identified in humans and viruses that influence the development of multiple sclerosis by shaping protective natural killer cell responses.
The failure of T cell-targeted vaccines for HIV in clinical trials is likely due to impaired degranulation of low-avidity CD8+ T cells in the context of low levels of antigen presentation.
A study published in Immunity shows that the mechanical force experienced by neutrophils migrating across endothelial barriers arms them for better bactericidal activity.
Phagocytosis-mediated cell death — also known as ‘phagoptosis’ — regulates developmental processes, cell turnover and immunity to infections and cancer. Here, Brown summarizes the key molecular interactions involved in cell death by phagocytosis and the relevance of this process for host health.
This Review summarizes how the processes of thymic selection together ensure that the T cell repertoire is fully functional and safe. In the thymus, T cell receptor signal strength is integrated with distinct stromal cues to result in positive or negative selection of thymocytes or the generation of regulatory cells.
This Review provides a guide to complement and its emerging roles in processes beyond innate immune defence such as in early development, tissue immunometabolism, tissue regeneration and cancer immunity. Moreover, our improved understanding of its role in disease pathology has opened new options for complement-based therapeutics.
Cryptosporidium are protozoan parasites that infect intestinal epithelial cells and can cause severe diarrhoeal disease, particularly in malnourished children. This Review summarizes the immune mechanisms that protect against this parasitic infection, highlighting the innate mechanisms that detect Cryptosporidium at the intestinal epithelium and the adaptive immune mechanisms that mediate resistance.
