Strategies to Improve the Effect of Vaccination in the Elderly: the Vaccine Producer's Perspective

The weakened immune system of elderly people presents particular challenges in the development of vaccines and caccination strategies for this population. There are well recognized changes in the function of antigen presenting cells (APCs), T cells and B cells in older people. A further means of enhanceing antigen presentation and subsequent T-cell activation would be to increase the vaccination at an earlier age may trigger naive T cells and subsequent generation of memory cells more efficiently and these cells may be recalled more easily in later life. Finally, the use of polysaccharide-protein conjugates might enhance the level and functionality of antibodies directed against polysaccharides. These different possibilities, alone or in combination, could improve caccine efficacy in elderly human populations. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.