REVIEW article
Front. Aging
Sec. Aging and the Immune System
This article is part of the Research TopicEnhancing Vaccine Responsiveness in the Aging Population Through Advanced ImmunologyView all articles
Advanced immunology in Aging population: Unveiling the Complexities of Vaccine Responsiveness
Provisionally accepted
Yan Han1Yanhao Huang2Yuanyu Zhou1Wanke He1Gaomei Luo1Liu Yang1Yanbin Chen1Yiqi Zhu1
Wei Jiang1
Chanchan Xiao3*Jianhui Yan1*- 1Xiangnan University, Chenzhou, China
- 2The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
- 3Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
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With the accelerating global population aging, vaccine responsiveness in older adults has emerged as an increasingly critical issue. This review systematically explores age-related changes in immune system function and their impacts on vaccine efficacy. Firstly, we outline the characteristics of immunosenescence and its regulatory effects on vaccine effectiveness from three perspectives: cellular, molecular, and signaling pathway levels. Secondly, we summarize methods for predicting vaccine immune responsiveness (such as biomarkers and advanced immunological assays) and current mainstream strategies for enhancing vaccine immune responsiveness, while enumerating several prominent novel vaccine formulations targeting the older adult population. Finally, we discuss existing controversies and future research directions regarding the study of vaccine responsiveness in older adults, and comprehensively evaluate the current research status of vaccine responsiveness in this demographic. By synthesizing extensive evidence, this review aims to provide new insights into addressing the challenges of vaccinating the older adult population and lay a theoretical foundation for developing more effective immunization strategies tailored to this vulnerable group.
Keywords: Aging Population, immunology, vaccine responsiveness, Inflammaging, adjuvant
Received: 09 Aug 2025; Accepted: 28 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Han, Huang, Zhou, He, Luo, Yang, Chen, Zhu, Jiang, Xiao and Yan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Chanchan Xiao, xiaocc616@foxmail.com
Jianhui Yan, 239006053@qq.com
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.