Uncovering immune priming: A Game-Changer for Oyster Health and Aquaculture

Objective

The SHIELD project addresses a major challenge for European aquaculture: the increasing impact of Vibrio aestuarianus, a pathogen responsible for significant economic and ecological losses in oyster farming across Europe.This MSCA postdoctoral fellowship project aims to pioneer a novel, sustainable strategy to prevent vibrioses in bivalves, focusing on the Pacific oyster (Magallana gigas), by harnessing immune priming (IP), a recently recognized form of innate immune memory. Unlike classical adaptive immunity, IP (also known as trained immunity) enables the innate immune system to react in an adaptative manner to secondary infections, independently from specific antibodies. While IP has been described in various animal phyla, its mechanisms and practical applications remain largely unexplored in bivalves, particularly for bacterial infections. By leveraging cutting-edge multi-omics approaches - including transcriptomics, epigenetics, cellular, and metabolic profiling - this research will unravel the cellular and molecular foundations of antibacterial IP in oysters. The work will focus on identifying key molecular pathways and biomarkers of immune memory, with the aim of validating IP as a sustainable disease prevention strategy. This fellowship will provide advanced interdisciplinary training in integrative omics, immunology, and aquaculture, fostering the applicant’s development as a scientific leader in the field. The project builds on the host laboratory’s expertise and recent advances in molluscan immunology, ensuring a high probability of success and impactful results. By generating new knowledge and innovative solutions for disease management, SHIELD will contribute to the resilience and sustainability of European aquaculture, addressing both economic and environmental priorities in line with the European Green Deal and Horizon Europe objectives.