Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Ageing is an important determinant of immune function across the lifespan, yet it remains underappreciated in the design and interpretation of much basic T cell research. As the immune system ages, T cell responses become less diverse, less efficient, and less adaptable, with consequences for infection control, vaccine responsiveness, cancer immunosurveillance, and the performance of T cell-based immunotherapies. This issue is particularly acute because many fundamental studies still rely on T cells from, mostly, healthy young donors. These controls are indispensable, but the field has built much of its pre-clinical logic on immune systems that are younger, fitter, and biologically distinct from the patients for whom T cell therapies are intended. We argue that this mismatch between experimental systems and clinical reality could be overcome by considering age as a routine variable from the start.
DOI: 10.1093/cei/uxag066
Institution: King's College London
Language: English
Topic: T-cell and B-cell Immunology
Subfield: Immunology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,816
OpenAlex ID: W7223797618