Understanding the immune response to seasonal influenza vaccination in older adults: a systems biology approach

Abstract

Annual vaccination against seasonal influenza is recommended to decrease disease-related mortality and morbidity. However, one population that responds suboptimally to influenza vaccine is adults over the age of 65 years. The natural aging process is associated with a complex deterioration of multiple components of the host immune system. Research into this phenomenon, known as immunosenescence, has shown that aging alters both the innate and adaptive branches of the immune system. The intricate mechanisms involved in immune response to influenza vaccine, and how these responses are altered with age, have led us to adopt a more encompassing systems biology approach to understand exactly why the response to vaccination diminishes with age. Here, the authors review what changes occur with immunosenescence, and some immunogenetic factors that influence response, and outline the systems biology approach to understand the immune response to seasonal influenza vaccination in older adults.

Keywords::

• bioinformatics
• immunogenetics
• immunosenescence
• influenza
• seasonal influenza vaccine
• systems biology
• vaccinomics
• vaccine-induced immunity

Financial & competing interests disclosure

GA Poland is the chair of a Safety Evaluation Committee for investigational vaccine trials being conducted by Merck Research Laboratories. GA Poland offers consultative advice on new vaccine development to Merck & Co., Inc., Avianax, Theraclone Sciences (formally Spaltudaq Corporation), MedImmune LLC, Liquidia Technologies, Inc., Emergent BioSolutions, Novavax, Dynavax, EMD Serono, Inc., Novartis Vaccines and Therapeutics and PAXVAX, Inc. He is also the co-inventor of intellectual property licensed to TapImmune Inc. IG Ovsyannikova is a co-inventor of intellectual property licensed to TapImmune Inc. R Jacobson is a member of a safety review committee for a postlicensure study funded by Merck & Co. concerning the safety of a human papillomavirus vaccine. He is also a member of a data monitoring committee for an investigational vaccine trial funded by Merck & Co. He also serves as a principal investigator for two studies, including one funded by Novartis International for its licensed meningococcal conjugate vaccine and one funded by Pfizer, Inc. for its licensed pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. The authors acknowledge support from NIH grant U01AI089859 for this work. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.