Molecular mechanisms and modulation of trained immunity induced by vaccines used in the elderly.

• Applicant: Dr. Krystallenia Paniskaki
• Subject Area: Immunology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 559835267

This project’s overarching hypothesis states, that vaccines used in the elderly can activate trained immunity responses by inducing epigenetic and metabolic modifications in bone marrow stem and progenitor cells. Furthermore, we hypothesize that metabolic modulators such as metformin can enhance vaccine activation of both trained immunity and adaptive immune memory responses. We will tackle the overarching hypothesis by pursuing two Key Objectives: • Key Objective 1. To profile the long-term epigenetic, metabolic, transcriptional and functional changes in immune cells, especially bone marrow stem and progenitor cells, caused by vaccines that are used in the elderly, concretely by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine. • Key Objective 2. To characterize the impact of metabolic modulators, with a focus on metformin, on the immunological effects (adaptive immune responses and trained immunity) of RSV vaccine.

• DFG Programme: WBP Fellowship
• International Connection: Netherlands
• Host: Professor Dr. Mihai G. Netea