Immunotherapy is a broad label, encompassing a range of approaches that include varieties of vaccination, selective interference in immune signaling, delivery of engineered immune cells, gene therapies capable of adjusting the behavior of immune cells, and more. An aging-focused viewpoint might also add the destruction of senescent cells or alteration of senescent cell signaling behavior, given the detrimental effect that senescent cell signaling produces on the immune system. Here, researchers review the ways in which one might turn the established technologies used in immunotherapies to target aging and age-related diseases. Evidently this shift is already well underway, given the application of immunotherapies to cancer, but will likely expand considerably.
Immunotherapy, after a century of development, has revolutionized the treatment of many diseases such as infections, cancers, and autoimmune diseases. Multidisciplinary advancements in immunology, molecular biology, biomedical engineering, and computer science have made immunotherapy more precise and specific, expanding its indications.
A recent study on mice demonstrated that immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) can enhance senescence surveillance, indicating the potential of immunotherapies for addressing aging. Senescent cells and aging-related microenvironmental features, such as DNA damage, oncogene expression, mitochondrial metabolic changes, and the production of senescence-associated secretory phenotypes (SASPs), provide targets for immunotherapy to eliminate and reshape the microenvironment.
Furthermore, immunotherapies can also reverse immunosenescence, which manifests as chronic low-grade inflammation and diminished reactivity toward pathogens and malignancies. These features highlight the potential of immunotherapy in delaying aging and related diseases with fewer side effects.
This review summarizes the latest progress in aging immunotherapy, including vaccines, adoptive cell transfer (ACT), antibody blockade, and cytokine intervention, while discussing the toxicity issues and limitations encountered in practice. Finally, it describes the prospects of aging immunotherapy, providing new targets and strategies for addressing aging and extending lifespan.
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