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The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences Advance Access published online on February 27, 2009
The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, doi:10.1093/gerona/gln068
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

This article appears in the following The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences issue: Special Issue: Biology of Aging Summit [View the issue table of contents]

Key Research Opportunities in Immune System Aging

Susan L. Swain1 and Janko Nikolich-Zugich2

1 Trudeau Institute, Saranac Lake, New York
2 Department of Immunobiology and the Arizona Center on Aging, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson

Address correspondence to Susan L. Swain, PhD, Trudeau Institute, 154 Algonquin Avenue, Saranac Lake, NY 12983. Email: sswain{at}trudeauinstitute.org


  Abstract

A number of key advantages make the immune system uniquely suited for studies of aging. The understanding of loss of immune function with aging has advanced to allow incisive evaluations of general theories of aging. Specifically, the time is ripe for examination of mechanisms leading to age-associated molecular and cellular defects in the immune system and testing of strategies to reverse identified defects. These and other opportunities are discussed in the following, with special focus upon aging of the innate immune system, the role of commensal bacteria and inflammation in immune aging, and the need for better and more precise models in mice and primates to facilitate these studies and provide translation toward clinical application of immune rejuvenation.

Keywords Immunity; Inflammation; Rejuvenation; Senescence

Received: December 9, 2008; Accepted: December 10, 2008

Decision Editor: Huber R. Warner, PhD


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