VetIMMUNE® and its products, VetIMMUNE® PI and EyeIMMUNE™, focus on harnessing the power and benefits of innate immunity to improve and sustain the health and longevity of our pets, thanks to the revolutionary work of Elie Metchnikoff, who discovered innate immunity and linked it to health and longevity.
This May, we should loudly and joyfully celebrate the 180th anniversary of Elie Metchnikoff, the father of innate immunity research and a pioneer in many fields, including probiotics. Elie Metchnikoff was born on May 15, 1845, at his father’s rural estate in Kharkov Guberniya, Russian Empire, into an unconventional family with a retired military Moldovan noble father and a Jewish mother. Although his mother converted to Protestantism, having a Jewish background was limiting in the social and career lives of that time. And his life was never easy or conventional. His photograph taken at his Lycée graduation shows a good-looking chap in uniform, surrounded by his pals. A very open, inquisitive look, which he kept through life. A brilliant student, first in his class, who graduated with the Gold Medal for academic achievements. It was an epoch of great discoveries in natural sciences, including Charles Darwin’s, which, as I imagine, influenced Metchnikoff’s choices. He was known to be an avid reader of scientific literature from an early age and was fascinated by the diversity of invertebrates. This fascination steered his interest in Zoology, which he studied in Russia, Germany, and Italy.
At the age of 23, he embarked on a series of discoveries in embryogenesis and, following Darwin’s new work, became excited by anthropology and studied the anthropology and ethnography of the Kazakh and Kyrgyz tribes—among many subjects, he explored the role of ethnic diets and fermented dairy products in nutrition and health.
By 37, when Metchnikoff was already a recognized researcher in entomology, embryology, and anthropology, he made a discovery that laid the groundwork for modern immunology: the inclusion and digestion of foreign matter by cells. He reproduced this observation by pricking starfish larvae with lemon thorns. Metchnikoff continued to think and experiment, and five years later, in 1883, he presented and published his findings about “phagocytosis,” its role in protecting the organism, and defined the immune system and immunity. Metchnikoff discovered the protective activity of colorless, migratory ameboid cells in the body, later named macrophages. One hundred forty years later, we still use his definitions.
Metchnikoff sought to establish a private research laboratory for studies in immunology and bacteriology, but ultimately founded the government-funded Odessa Bacteriological Station in 1886 for research and development in cattle vaccines and rabies. This station became a platform for future microbiology and immunology research in Russia. One year at the helm was enough for Metchnikoff, who decided to return to research in Germany. By that time, the majority of German science influencers were involved in vaccine research and opposed the importance of innate cellular immunity. They fought against Metchnikoff with vigor, as is often the case with universities -- they tend to reject any outsider research.
Luckily, Louis Pasteur, the renowned scientist and founder of the Pasteur Institute in Paris, invited Metchnikoff to his institute. This allowed Metchnikoff to continue his research on the natural (innate) immune system: he described and named leukocytes (LEU on your blood test) and divided those into lymphocytes, large mononuclear leukocytes, and macrophages. Metchnikoff also explained the principle of immune surveillance and the role of immunity in the organism's defense, tissue damage, recovery, and aging.
Working at the Pasteur Institute, Metchnikoff made major contributions to immunopathology and cytology, discovered cytotoxins, and described nephrological nephritis, among other notable achievements. However, his postulate of the importance of innate immunity in protection against diseases was disputed by proponents of vaccines and chemotherapy, whose arguments were similar to what we heard in the COVID era: vaccines are the only way to go. That approach was neither productive then, nor now, because innate immunity is perhaps the most universal and powerful tool in the system of defense, and we need to learn how to take advantage of it. History always repeats itself.
In 1908, Metchnikoff was awarded the Nobel Prize, which did not stop his quest into new areas. Now, at 63, he focuses on innate immunity, health, and aging. He was the first to propose the concept of autoimmunity in the aging process and linked senility to bacterial flora (note: many researchers today associate Alzheimer’s disease with viruses). He began exploring the biological basis of aging and adopted a scientific approach to gerontology as an evolutionary step. This was truly disruptive because gerontology had previously been limited to medical hygiene. If you ever have interest and time, I recommend reading his The Prolongation of Life: Optimistic Studies (1908) https://archive.org/details/prolongationofli00metciala/page/n5/mode/2up?view=theater
Curious fact: Another gift by Metchnikoff, made before his passing in 1916, was the connection between a diet rich in fermented milk and longevity, as well as the link between innate immunity, longevity, cellular processes, diet, and lifestyle. Every doctor, every textbook will now tell you about it. We now know that probiotics are beneficial, and we consume yogurt and kefir – kefir is still made from the consortium isolated by Metchnikoff.
Wiki and other sources (Gordon, S., 2008, Elie Metchnikoff: Father of natural immunity. https://doi.org/10.1002/eji.200838855) will give you far more information about Elie Metchnikoff, an inquisitive and charismatic man of a brilliant mind and a generous personality.
At VetIMMUNE®, we continue to uphold the legacy of Elie Metchnikoff and work to offer products that enhance innate immune responses, work together with proven vaccines and chemotherapies, and, in turn, improve health and quality of life.
We always welcome your opinions and suggestions (info@vetimmune.com).
