Team finds way to ‘wake up’ tired immune cells

Researchers have found a way to "wake up" tired immune cells. This discovery could help the body fight off cancer and infections.

Revitalizing Immune Cells

For many years, scientists thought the immune system naturally got weaker with age. Ankur Singh, a biomedical engineer at Georgia Tech, questioned this idea. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the problem, as older adults struggled to recover. Singh noticed this was similar to what he saw in cancer patients: an aging immune system that couldn't respond well.

Singh, who directs the Center for Immunoengineering at Georgia Tech, realized this was a major issue. He noted that much aging research focuses on the brain or physical health. However, immune aging is key to many problems, and there are fewer solutions. His team wanted to see if they could fix some of its root causes.

In a study published in Cell Biomaterials, Singh and his team, led by PhD student Zhonghao Dai, focused on T cells. These cells are the immune system's main defenders against viruses, abnormal cells, and early signs of cancer. T cells protect us by responding to new infections and getting rid of dangerous cells. As people age, the body makes fewer new T cells, and older ones become less effective. Singh described them as "exhausted."

A Shot of Espresso for T Cells

Singh wanted to know if aging immune cells could regain some of their lost function. To do this, researchers needed to deliver new biological instructions into T cells. Existing methods often damaged these delicate cells or didn't reach enough of them.

Singh's team used tiny silicon nanowires to deliver instructions into over 90% of aging T cells without harming them. The goal was not to reverse aging, but to restore enough function so the cells would act more like younger immune cells. Singh explained that these signals "help reset the cells’ internal programs."

The treatment invigorated the exhausted immune cells, making them respond more like younger ones. The treated cells became more active, multiplied, and regained their ability to attack infected and cancerous cells. Singh was surprised that they only needed to fix four or five genes to make T cells act younger.

The team then tested immune cells from healthy older adults, cancer survivors, and cancer patients. Singh noted they saw improvement in T cell function across all groups. This gave them confidence that the approach could work for many different conditions and people.

Singh believes this technique has wide applications for cancer, infection, inflammatory bowel disease, and autoimmune diseases. He says treated cells would be "ready to fight whatever is invading your body." This could lead to better vaccine responses and a healthier life with fewer illnesses.

Currently, the effects last about two weeks. Singh and his team are working to make them last longer. While the body's cells still age, they may not have to act old.

Deep Dive & References: Nanowire-mediated intracellular delivery of mRNA to human T cells for immune aging reversal - Cell Biomaterials, 2024