Scientists find a way to reboot aging immune systems
MIT and Broad Institute researchers have created an mRNA therapy that helps older immune systems bounce back by reprogramming liver cells.
As we age, our T cells slow down and decrease in number, which makes fighting infections harder—this new approach aims to fix that.
How does it work?
The team packaged three key immune-boosting factors into mRNA and delivered them straight to liver cells using tiny fat-based particles.
Since the liver is great at making proteins even as we get older, this method gives sluggish T cells the signals they need to step up their game.
What did they find?
In middle-aged mice, just four weeks of treatment doubled their infection-fighting T cells after vaccination and improved other immune cell functions.
In cancer tests, the therapy helped more killer T cells reach tumors and made treatments like checkpoint inhibitors work better—with temporary effects intended to minimize the risk of unintended long-term changes.