Research group Experimental internal medicine

Achievements

• The concept of trained immunity

  We coined and demonstrated the concept of trained immunity, showing that the innate immune system can develop a form of memory, previously thought to exist only in the adaptive immune system. We investigated epigenetic, metabolic and transcriptomic reprogramming mechanisms underlying trained immunity.

• Trained immunity in the context of vaccination

  We translated our findings on trained immunity into clinical research, particularly in the context of vaccination. We showed that the BCG vaccine can enhance protection against a broad range of infections beyond tuberculosis. This work led to several clinical trials, including ACTIVATE, which demonstrated protective effects of BCG vaccination in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Better understanding of sepsis and immune dysfunction

  We contributed to a better understanding of sepsis and immune dysfunction. We studied how immune responses become dysregulated during severe infections and worked toward developing personalized treatment strategies for sepsis, based on different immunotypes.

Publications

See the publication list of the research group leader on Web of Science.

• A selection of our publications

  • Precision Immunotherapy to Improve Sepsis Outcomes: The ImmunoSep Randomized Clinical Trial. - Giamarellos-Bourboulis, E. J., Kotsaki, A., Kotsamidi, I., Efthymiou, A., Koutsoukou, V., …, Ntaganou, M., Gkeka, E., Bauer, M., Mouloudi, E. & Netea, M. G.; ImmunoSep Study Group – 2026 (JAMA)
  • Long-term histone lactylation connects metabolic and epigenetic rewiring in innate immune memory. - Ziogas, A., Novakovic, B., Ventriglia, L., Galang, N., Tran, K. A., Li, W., …, Martens, J. H. A., Li, Y., Divangahi, M., Joosten, L. A. B., Mhlanga M. M., & Netea, M. G. – 2025 (Cell)
  • Transmission of trained immunity and heterologous resistance to infections across generations. - Katzmarski, N., Domínguez-Andrés, J., Cirovic, B., Renieris, G., Ciarlo, E., Le Roy, …, Walter, J., Schultze, J. L., Roger, T., Giamarellos-Bourboulis, E. J., Schlitzer, A., & Netea, M. G.- 2021 (Nature immunology)
  • Activate: Randomized Clinical Trial of BCG Vaccination against Infection in the Elderly - Giamarellos-Bourboulis, E. J., Tsilika, M., Moorlag, S., Antonakos, N., Kotsaki, A., Domínguez-Andrés, J., …, Koenen, H., van Crevel, R., Droggiti, D. I., Renieris, G., Papadopoulos, A., & Netea, M. G. - 2020 (Cell)
  • Metabolic Induction of Trained Immunity through the Mevalonate Pathway. - Bekkering, S., Arts, R. J. W., Novakovic, B., Kourtzelis, I., van der Heijden, C. D. C. C., Li, Y., …, Chavakis, T., Joosten, L. A. B., van der Meer, J. W. M., Stunnenberg, H., Riksen, N. P., & Netea, M. G. - 2018 (Cell)
  • Host and Environmental Factors Influencing Individual Human Cytokine Responses - Ter Horst, R., Jaeger, M., Smeekens, S. P., Oosting, M., Swertz, M. A., Li, Y., …, Dinarello C. A., Pavelka, N., Wijmenga, C., Notebaart, N.A., Joosten, L. A. B. & Netea, M. G. - 2016 (Cell)
  • Trained immunity: A program of innate immune memory in health and disease. - Netea, M. G., Joosten, L. A., Latz, E., Mills, K. H., Natoli, G., Stunnenberg, H. G., O'Neill, L. A., & Xavier, R. J. - 2016 (Science)
  • mTOR- and HIF-1α-mediated aerobic glycolysis as metabolic basis for trained immunity . - Cheng, S. C., Quintin, J., Cramer, R. A., Shepardson, K. M., Saeed, S., Kumar, V., … Ng, A., Joosten, L. A., Wijmenga, C., Stunnenberg, H. G., Xavier, R. J., & Netea, M. G. - 2014 (Science)
  • STAT1 mutations in autosomal dominant chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis. - van de Veerdonk, F. L., Plantinga, T. S., Hoischen, A., Smeekens, S. P., Joosten, L. A., Gilissen, C., Arts, P., ... , Smits-van der Graaf, C. A., Kullberg, B. J., van der Meer, J. W., Lilic, D., Veltman, J. A., & Netea, M. G. - 2011 (The New England Journal of Medicine)