Understanding immunosenescence to improve responses to vaccines NATURE IMMUNOLOGY Goronzy, J. J., Weyand, C. M. 2013; 14 (5): 428-436

Abstract

In the older adult, the benefits of vaccination to prevent infectious disease are limited, mainly because of the adaptive immune system's inability to generate protective immunity. The age-dependent decrease in immunological competence, often referred to as 'immunosenescence', results from the progressive deterioration of innate and adaptive immune responses. Most insights into mechanisms of immunological aging have been derived from studies of mouse models. In this Review, we explore how well such models are applicable to understanding the aging process throughout the 80-100 years of human life and discuss recent advances in identifying and characterizing the mechanisms that underlie age-associated defective adaptive immunity in humans.

View details for DOI 10.1038/ni.2588

View details for Web of Science ID 000317732100007

View details for PubMedID 23598398