New study from UCI reveals how to rejuvenate the immune system of elderly people and reduce their risk of infectious disease

A new study, led by researchers from the University of California, Irvine, identifies a reason for why older adults are significantly more susceptible to infectious diseases than younger people, a critical societal issue most recently exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Study results also pave the way for new potential therapeutic targets to rejuvenate the immune system in older adults and thereby reduce their risk of infectious disease. “Through this study, we have gained a new understanding of why older adults are more susceptible to infectious diseases, which will enable us to identify potential new treatments,” said senior author Michael Demetriou, MD, PhD, a professor of neurology at the UCI School of Medicine and chief of the Division of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology at UCI. First author and assistant professor in the UCI Department of Pathology, Haik Mkhikian, MD, PhD, added, “We’ve identified a potential fountain of youth for the immune system.” The study,...