Manuscript Topics

The immune system undergoes many changes as individuals age from fetus to neonate to child to adult and older adult. As we age, we accumulate protections necessary to live in, and with the microbial world (including our own microbiome), but also necessary to deal with the challenges of our environment and bad habits (e.g. smog, smoking and over-eating). Like a computer, some components are immediately functional, like the innate components, but other components must learn the programs and details necessary to function, the antigen-specific components.

Although a major priority for the immune system is to be able to combat an infectious challenge, the normal, every-day functions of the immune system include self-management, surveillance for abnormal (tumor) cells and the means for their elimination, removal of cellular and molecular trash, facilitating the repair and renewal of cells and tissues, monitoring and protecting the borders of the body from microbial invasion and maintaining peaceful interactions between cells through tolerance and suppression of inflammation and excessive responses. Ultimately, the goal for the immune system is to develop a balance between the effector functions and the maintenance and regulatory functions without compromise to the protections from microbial attack or tumor surveillance. With aging, the system accumulates weapons and components dedicated to previously encountered enemies (antibodies and T cells), but is less capable of developing weapons against newer ones and to controlling responses to life’s challenges (inflammaging and immunosenescence) making it more difficult to maintain the balance between effector/inflammatory and regulatory/suppressive functions. This can compromise the system and increase susceptibility to diseases, including inflammatory diseases, and cancers.

We would like to invite authors to submit original research and/or review articles focused on the development and consequences of the changes in the immune system as we age from fetus to older adult and distinctions due to sex and gender.

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