Trained Immunity: An Ancient Way of Remembering

Abstract

The innate arm of the immune system has generally been regarded as primitive and non-specific and, in contrast to adaptive immunity, not to possess memory. Here we review the growing body of evidence that innate immunity has an important capacity to adapt, a de facto innate immune memory (also termed trained immunity), and this provides broad protection against infections.

Keywords: cytokines; infections; innate immune memory; trained immunity; vertebrate immunity.