(Lost-Tfh) Lost in space: How spatial dysregulation of T follicular helper cells impairs vaccine responses in ageing

As we age, key immune cells called T follicular helpers fail to reach the right location in lymph nodes after a vaccination, leaving the response disorganised. This matters because vaccines work less well in older people, and we do not fully understand why. The researchers have identified a specific spatial problem: these helper cells get “lost in space” and do not rendezvous with the other cells they need to instruct. Without that physical meeting, the immune system cannot produce strong, long-lasting antibodies. The project will map exactly where the cells go wrong and what knock-on effects this has for the rest of the immune response. This is fundamental science. It will not produce a new vaccine or drug directly. But understanding the precise cellular geography of a failed immune response could eventually guide the design of vaccines that physically steer helper cells to the correct location. Similar discoveries about immune cell movement have previously led to improved vaccine adjuvants and cancer immunotherapies. The immediate impact will be a clearer map of what breaks down in the ageing immune system.