New drug could make vaccines more effective in the elderly

Oxford University scientists have developed a new method of boosting the ageing immune system using a naturally occurring chemical compound. Early tests in mice carried out by the research team have shown that the compound restores the immune system's inbuilt 'memory', enabling the body to mount a more powerful protective immune response following vaccination. The compound, called spermidine, is now being developed by the researchers as a potential drug to make vaccines more effective in the elderly, which in future could help protect this vulnerable population from seasonal flu and other infections. 'Viral infections like flu are unpleasant for most people but can be very serious for the over-65s, and vaccines, like the free annual flu jab, are the best form of protection,' says Professor Katja Simon from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Human Immunology Unit at Oxford University, and the senior author of the study. 'Our aim is to make that protection even better, by adding immune boosting compounds to routine vaccinations.' The elderly population, in particular people over 65, don't always get adequate protection from the flu jab. This is because as we age, our immune system becomes less effective at responding to new infections, and even to ones we've had in the past. The reasons for this decline in immunity are complex, but a key factor is that the white blood cells that coordinate the response to an infection - called'T cells - lose the ability to form a 'memory' of the infection.