Influenza-Specific CD8+ T Cell Responses in Older Adults
Author Information
Author(s): Lee Jessica B, Oelke Mathias, Ramachandra Lakshmi, Canaday David H, Schneck Jonathan P
Primary Institution: Johns Hopkins University
Hypothesis
Aging leads to a decrease in the subdominant influenza-specific CTL responses in geriatric donors.
Conclusion
Geriatric donors lack the broad, multi-specific response to subdominant epitopes seen in younger control donors.
Supporting Evidence
- 14 younger control donors and 12 geriatric donors were enrolled in this study.
- Using the aAPC assay, 92% of the control donors responded to at least one subdominant epitope.
- 66% of geriatric donors lacked a subdominant influenza-specific response.
Takeaway
As people get older, their immune system doesn't respond as well to certain parts of the flu virus, making it harder for them to fight off infections.
Methodology
The study compared CD8+ T cell responses to influenza epitopes in younger and geriatric donors using a novel artificial Antigen Presenting Cell (aAPC) based stimulation assay.
Potential Biases
Potential bias in donor selection and the limited number of geriatric donors.
Limitations
The study was limited to HLA-A2+ donors and may not be generalizable to all populations.
Participant Demographics
Younger control donors aged 21-42 and geriatric donors aged 65 and older.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.0003
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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