Trinity College Dublin: Researchers Offer an Exciting Treatment to Target the Host, and Not the Bacteria

31 March 2026

Trinity College Dublin news release

As antibiotic resistance continues to rise worldwide, scientists are searching for new strategies to combat infections. The Trinity College Dublin combats this problem by focusing on strengthening an individual’s own defence systems rather than relying solely on antimicrobial drugs. This approach aims to boost immune function to help clear infections more effectively.

Scientists targeted the immune cells rather than the bacteria to help fight infections using a process called ‘trained immunity’. The team trained macrophages with the “alert signal” IFN-gamma (IFN-y), and they were better able to kill dangerous bacteria like methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) or the bacteria that causes TB (Mycobacterium tuberculosis).

Read the full news release here.

Source: Trinity College Dublin