A Cell Atlas of Trained Immunity in Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Vaccinated African Infants

This team will build a single-cell pediatric atlas of healthy peripheral blood myeloid and lymphoid cell development, following Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine induced trained immunity in the first year of life. This atlas will increase representation of African people in the Human Cell Atlas (HCA), and will be used as a healthy pediatric reference atlas for myeloid and lymphoid developmental cell lineages.

The project will collect samples from Malawian newborns up to five times during the first year of life. The team will leverage a sophisticated range of immunology techniques to learn about cell phenotype and function to complement the cell atlas data. Crucial to this effort is a strong community engagement plan. The team has a dedicated Malawian community engagement officer who will partner with communities, health facilities, local chiefs and stakeholders through the project duration. The project will establish long-lasting international partnerships, engage with the existing HCA community and with Malawian community members, as well as with broader stakeholders including district health offices, national policymakers, and local researchers at Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust.