A new study reveals an unexpected role for immune cells found in the lungs that could help in developing more effective flu vaccines.
The study, published in the journal Nature Immunology, indicates that a type of immune cell known as "monocytes" can remain in the lungs for several months after influenza infection, and contribute to supporting memory T cells that help the body respond quickly when exposed to the virus again.
The researchers, led by Minsoo Kim, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, focused on how memory T cells form and maintain their presence in the lungs after the infection has ended.
The team discovered that a subset of monocytes, usually viewed as short-lived immune cells, can remain in the lungs long after an influenza infection.
These cells not only survive, but also appear to play an important role in maintaining the memory T cells present in lung tissue, helping them to continue performing their function in combating the virus.
Kim said the study identified a long-lived population of lung monocyte-derived cells that play a key role in supporting long-term T-cell immunity. He added that the findings challenge the conventional belief that immune memory relies primarily on T and B cells, and instead show that innate immune cells can also contribute to the formation and maintenance of this memory.
The researchers were also able to identify one of the mechanisms that these cells use to communicate with memory T cells, as they produce a protein known as "galectin-1" that helps to activate and maintain memory T cells in lung tissue.
When "Galactin-1" was added to an experimental flu vaccine and tested on mice, researchers observed a clear increase in the strength of the immune response within the lungs.
Kim believes this result could open the door to using "Galactin-1" as an adjuvant for vaccines, with the aim of enhancing mucosal immunity in the respiratory system.
Vaccinations are the most effective way to prevent influenza and reduce the risk of developing serious complications, but most of the vaccines currently available, which are given by injection, do not always stimulate a strong immune response in the nose and lungs.
The importance of this response lies in the fact that the respiratory system is the virus's primary entry point. Therefore, the presence of immune cells capable of quickly recognizing the virus in this area can help limit infection before it spreads.
Nasal flu vaccines target this problem by stimulating immunity in the respiratory system, but their ability to provide strong and long-lasting protection has not been consistent, prompting researchers to look for new ways to improve the immune response in this area.
The study suggests that supporting the interaction between innate immune cells and memory T cells may be one of the pathways that can be utilized in the development of these vaccines.
The importance of the discovery is not limited to influenza alone, as researchers believe that the mechanism revealed by the study may be useful in developing vaccines that target other respiratory viruses that cause seasonal illnesses or epidemics.
Kim said the results show that innate immune cells not only act as a first line of defense against infection, but can also influence long-term immune memory, which may allow in the future the design of vaccines that take advantage of this function more precisely.
However, the results are still in their early stages, as they were obtained through experiments on animal models, and it has not yet been proven that the same mechanism works in the same way in humans.
Researchers are currently working on developing more stable forms of "Galactin-1" in preparation for studying the possibility of using it safely as an adjuvant for vaccines.
If future studies confirm the effectiveness of this mechanism in humans, the results may contribute to changing the way respiratory vaccines are designed, so that they not only focus on producing antibodies in the body, but also target the formation of strong immune memory within the lungs, where the infection begins.
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