A world-first discovery has revealed special immune cells called ‘killer T cells’ in older adults, directed against influenza viruses, closely resemble those found in newborns and children, but struggle to recognise infected cells – a finding that unlocks the potential for the development of better vaccines and therapies tailored to different age groups.
Sep 30 2023Reviewed by Lily Ramsey, LLM A world-first discovery has revealed special immune cells called ‘killer T cells’ in older adults, directed against influenza viruses, closely resemble those found in newborns and children, but struggle to recognize infected cells – a finding that unlocks the potential for the development of better vaccines and therapies tailored to different age groups.
University of Melbourne’s Dr Carolien van de Sandt, a Senior Research Fellow at the Doherty Institute and first author of the paper, said the team uncovered unexpected similarities in T cell responses between newborns/children and older adults. “One of the most intriguing findings of the study was that these cells, with a lower ability to recognize influenza viruses, displayed gene features closely similar to T cells found in newborns.”
“This study is a turning point for the research into ageing immunity. It has far-reaching implications and opens up new possibilities for the development of better vaccines and therapies tailored to different age groups.”
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