Rejuvenating T cells to boost immunity in older adults
Thymic and Peripheral Aspects of T Cell Aging and Rejuvenation
This project aims to restore youthful T cells so older adults can better fight infections, cancer, and autoimmune problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Arizona NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tucson, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11308353 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would hear that researchers are studying why T cells decline with age by looking at the thymus, bone marrow, and how T cells are kept working in the body. They plan to use a mix of laboratory experiments, animal models, and studies that include human samples to test multiple ways to restore naive T cell numbers and function. Some efforts focus on stimulating thymic output, improving bone marrow support, or fixing defects in circulating T cells. The goal is to combine these fixes to strengthen immune responses to infections, vaccines, cancer, and autoimmune disease in older adults.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are older adults with signs of weakened immunity—such as recurrent infections, poor responses to vaccines, or other evidence of age-related immune decline—or people willing to provide blood or tissue samples for study.
Not a fit: Young healthy people or those whose health problems are not related to T-cell aging are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to therapies that restore protective immunity in older adults, improving vaccine responses and reducing infections, cancer progression, and autoimmune problems.
How similar studies have performed: Some laboratory and early clinical work has shown parts of this approach can boost T-cell numbers or function, but fully restoring aged human immunity remains largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
Tucson, United States
- University of Arizona — Tucson, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nikolich, Janko Z. — University of Arizona
- Study coordinator: Nikolich, Janko Z.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.