Training Immunity and Reprogramming Monocytes and Macrophages in Health and Disease
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Immunology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 53
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue will explore how innate immune cells, particularly monocytes and macrophages, can develop long-lasting memory, known as “trained immunity,” through epigenetic and metabolic changes, resulting in enhanced secondary responses during both health and disease. Researchers have begun to understand some of the key mechanisms of reprogramming at several cellular levels, including hematopoietic precursors, and are developing new therapeutic strategies for diverse conditions, such as autoimmune diseases. Monocytes and macrophages are highly versatile immune cells known for their plasticity and ability to adapt to different microenvironments, which is a central hallmark of trained immunity. The nature of the "training" stimulus can impart distinct functional properties to macrophages, leading to different therapeutic outcomes. While immunological memory is typically associated with the adaptive immune system of vertebrates, most species rely only on innate immunity. It has been proposed that memory in innate immunity represents an evolutionary continuum, mediated by epigenetic changes, and evolved before the highly specific memory of the adaptive system. Comparative and interconnected insights will significantly improve our understanding of this. Additionally, trained macrophages can directly promote the development of new therapeutic approaches that leverage or modulate chronic inflammatory conditions driven by reprogramming precursor cells.
Dr. Eugenio A. Carrera Silva
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- monocytes
- macrophage plasticity
- regulatory reprogramming
- chronic inflammation
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