{
  "abstract": "In recent years, immunotherapy of patients with higher-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) in North America has relied on the use of the TICE strain of BCG. However, limitations in the supply chain have warranted investigation of the therapeutic benefit of other strains of BCG, such as BCG-Russia. Trained immunity, a form of innate immune memory, is now widely believed to be an important component of the therapeutic benefit of BCG. Therefore, in the present study we compared the effects of BCG-TICE and BCG-Russia on the acquisition of trained immunity and related secondary immune responses. C57BL/6 mice received a single intravenous injection of BCG-Russia or BCG-TICE. Four weeks later, bone marrow was collected for flow cytometric analysis of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) populations, generation of bone marrow-derived macrophages, functional assessment of trained immunity, and transcriptomic profiling. Compared with BCG-Russia, BCG-TICE elicited increased levels of trained immunity, characterized by higher production of several proinflammatory cytokines upon secondary activation. BCG promoted the expansion of HSPCs independent of strain. BCG-TICE was linked to upregulation of key inflammation-related genes and enrichment of functionally relevant pathways. The results of this study reveal strain-dependent differences in the ability of BCG to induce innate immune memory and inflammatory pathways that could ultimately determine efficacy of immunotherapy of patients with NMIBC.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada",
    "Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada",
    "Department of Urology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Richard W. Nauman"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Peter A. Greer"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Andrew W. Craig"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tiziana Cotechini"
    },
    {
      "name": "D. Robert Siemens"
    },
    {
      "name": "Charles H. Graham"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c6yzeab2t65sm.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0357950",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "c6yzeab2t65sm",
  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357950",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2403|Immune responses and vaccinations"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Cell biology/Cellular types/Animal cells/Blood cells/White blood cells/Macrophages"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Cell biology/Cellular types/Animal cells/Immune cells/White blood cells/Macrophages"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Developmental biology/Molecular development/Cytokines"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Genetics/Gene expression"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Immunology/Immune cells/White blood cells/Macrophages"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Immunology/Immune system/Innate immune system/Cytokines"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Immunology/Immunity"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Immunology/Immunity/Cell-mediated immunity"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Immunology/Vaccination and immunization"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Molecular biology/Molecular biology techniques/Cloning"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Physiology/Immune physiology/Cytokines"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Immune cells/White blood cells/Macrophages"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Immune system/Innate immune system/Cytokines"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Immunity"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Immunity/Cell-mediated immunity"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Vaccination and immunization"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Public and occupational health/Preventive medicine/Vaccination and immunization"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Animal studies/Experimental organism systems/Animal models/Mouse models"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Animal studies/Experimental organism systems/Model organisms/Mouse models"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Model organisms/Mouse models"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Molecular biology techniques/Cloning"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7212261806",
  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357950&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-11",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c6yzeab2t65sm.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:56Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0357950",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357950"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:immunology",
      "subfield": "immunology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Differential effects of BCG-Russia and BCG-TICE on trained immunity: Potential implications for bladder cancer immunotherapy",
  "title_text": "Differential effects of BCG-Russia and BCG-TICE on trained immunity: Potential implications for bladder cancer immunotherapy",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:56Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c6yzeab2t65sm",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
  "versions": []
}