Milieu intérieur: Defining the boundaries of a healthy immune response for improved vaccination strategies

Abstract

Immune responses in human populations are highly variable, with this variability presenting challenges for vaccine design. As such a better understanding of the factors that determine this variability will help in the development of precision vaccination strategies. The Milieu Interieur consortium was established to address this challenge through a definition of the normal boundaries of a healthy immune response, and the characterization of their genetic and environmental determinants. To do this we have implemented standardized tools for monitoring functional immune responses at the proteomic and transcriptional level, which have been applied to a 1,000 healthy donor cohort. This approach has recently allowed us to quantify the extent of genetic control of cellular variability and transcriptional responses to infection. Initial findings on the influence of age, sex, and genetics may already be included in considerations for improved vaccine development, and ongoing analysis will further define the factors behind inter-individual variability in diverse immune responses. This approach will help to guide the development of the next generation of vaccines that will take into account differences in populations and eventually individuals.

Bovine innate immune phenotyping via a standardized whole blood stimulation assay

“…Significant inter-individual variation was apparent in both basal and induced responses which is likely to have important relevance for disease susceptibility. Two individuals lacked a detectable IL-1α response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which was postulated to have potential disease-relevance and such information in cattle would also have broader relevance in terms of improving vaccination strategies 9 . The individuals used in this study are also part of a larger cohort in which detailed health traits have been recorded for each individual in order to assess the risk factors involved in disease susceptibility and to identify the key contributors to human immunological variance 10 .…”

The Induced Immune Response in Patients With Infectious Spondylodiscitis: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study

“…Stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells is a frequently used method for monitoring immune responses ( 11 , 17 , 18 ). However, immune responses to infections have high inter-individual variability ( 18 ).…”

On the Road to Individualization of Vaccination: the Significance of Age and Sex

“…Иммунные ответы на вакцинацию в человече ских популяциях сильно различаются, и эта измен чивость создает проблемы при разработке вакцин. Для решения этой проблемы был создан специаль ный международный консорциум (Milieu interieur consortium) [57]. В рамках этого консорциума были внедрены стандартизированные инструменты для мониторинга функциональных иммунных ответов на протеомном и транскрипционном уровнях, ко торые были применены к когорте 1000 здоровых доноров.…”