Immune responses to vaccines in older persons (AgeVax)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Immune responses to vaccines in older persons (AgeVax)
IRAS ID
277259
Contact name
Michelle A Linterman
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Babraham Institute
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
As we age the function of our immune system declines. The impact of this is that we are more susceptible to infections and less able to generate protective immunity after vaccination, further increasing the risk of infection. For example, it is estimated that ~75% of deaths from seasonal influenza occur in people over 65 years of age, and ~65% of influenza-related hospitalisations occur in people from this age group. Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve the effectiveness of vaccines, such as for seasonal influenza, in people over 65. Public Health England estimates that a better seasonal influenza vaccine for this age group would result in 30,000 fewer general practitioner consultations, 2,000 fewer hospitalisations and prevent more than 700 deaths each year in England alone, thereby improving health and quality of life for persons over 65 and alleviating the workload associated with this disease on the National Health Service.
Our laboratory works to understand why older bodies do not respond well to vaccines. In our research we have discovered that decreased responsiveness to a particular hormonal messenger, produced by the body after vaccination, is diminished in older animals. Importantly, by stimulating production of this hormonal messenger in aged animals we can improve their response to vaccination. The next step for this work is to determine whether increased responsiveness to this hormonal messenger is linked with better vaccine responses in older people.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - South Yorkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/YH/0101
Date of REC Opinion
17 Mar 2020
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion