Work

IL‐10‐ and IL‐13‐Biased T Cell Responses to SARS‐CoV‐2 Vaccination in Diabetes

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are associated with increased severity and mortality from respiratory virus infections. Vaccination in the general population significantly reduces the risk of severe respiratory viral infection and triggers a strong, polyfunctional, and lasting T cell response in healthy individuals. However, vaccine effectiveness in people with type 1 diabetes is unclear. Here, we studied the magnitude and functional characteristics of vaccine‐specific CD4 + and CD8 + T cell responses to vaccination in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and compared them to those of people living without diabetes, using the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) vaccine as a model. We found defects in both CD4 + and CD8 + T cell memory maintenance and the functionality of the vaccine‐specific T cells in people with diabetes compared with people without. In those individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who harbored detectable vaccine‐specific T cells, they displayed an unfocused, tolerogenic phenotype characterized by increased expression of IL‐10 and IL‐13 compared with people without diabetes. These results have implications for vaccination strategies for people with diabetes.

Source: European Journal of Immunology

DOI: 10.1002/eji.70112