Sneha Khedkar in The Scientist:
More than a century ago, two scientists spent years trying to tame the deadly bacterium that causes tuberculosis. They administered the first dose of the vaccine, now called Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG), to an infant whose mother had died of the disease.1 Since then, with billions of doses given, the shot has surprised scientists with its capabilities beyond preventing tuberculosis. Researchers have found that BCG also helps prevent type 1 diabetes, reduce multiple sclerosis relapse, and treat bladder cancer. Scientists have uncovered how BCG programs the peripheral immune system to induce these effects.2-4
However, the vaccine’s impact on the central nervous system (CNS) and immune cells within it remains poorly understood, despite retrospective studies revealing a link between the vaccine and the brain: People who received BCG for bladder cancer also showed reduced incidence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).5 Now, in a small clinical trial, researchers found that BCG triggered immune remodeling in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of older adults and reduced AD-related biomarkers.6 The findings, published in Communications Medicine, suggest that vaccine-induced immune reprogramming could be used as a strategy to target early neurodegeneration.
More here.
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