title: 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.
authors.affiliation: Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group, Mayo Clinic, Guggenheim 611C, 200 1st Street SW, Rochester, MI 55905, USA.
authors.forename: Nathaniel D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.forename: Inna G
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Ovsyannikova
authors.forename: V Shane
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Pankratz
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.forename: Gregory A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Poland
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D012621:Seasons; D049490:Systems Biology / Q000379:methods*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines