A High Level View of Efforts to Modulate Inflammaging and Immunosenescence of the Aged Immune System

Change and disruption in the immune system is an important component of degenerative aging. Broadly, the immune system becomes ever more inflammatory (inflammaging) while also becoming ever less effective (immunosenescence). The immune system is not only responsible for defending against invasive pathogens and destroying errant cells, but it is also tightly integrated into the normal processes of tissue maintenance and operation. When immune cells become inflammatory, they abandon the range of tasks needed to keep tissues functional. Short-term inflammation is necessary in response to injury and infection, but unresolved, chronic inflammation is a major issue, highly disruptive, and contributing to the onset and progression of many age-related conditions. That immune aging is a major issue is widely recognized, and many research and development initiatives are aimed at restoration of at least some aspect of lost immune function: largely reduction of inflammation, but also restoration of immune capacity in defense against pathogens or clearance of cancerous and senescent cells. The most promising direct approaches involve (a) improvement of hematopoietic stem cell function, (b) restoration of the thymus to enable greater production of T cells, (c) clearance of misconfigured and damaged immune cell populations. Removing the stimuli for chronic inflammation should also prove helpful, such as via clearance of senescent cells. Immune system modulation in aging: Molec...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs