#1

The immune system permeates and regulates organs and tissues across the body, and has diverse roles beyond pathogen control, including in development, tissue homeostasis and repair. The reshaping of the immune system that occurs during aging is therefore highly consequential. In this Focus issue, Nature Aging presents a collection of reviews of and opinions on recent advances in research into immune aging.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-025-00948-5

This refers to 7 articles just published but the paywall is an issue

4 Likes
#2

Keep that thymus going for new T-cells.

1 Like
#3

John – Thanks for posting.

From the linked article (“emphasis” mine)…

Franceschi and colleagues survey immune aging clocks through the lens of personalized inflammaging. They highlight that each individual’s unique combination of genetics, lifetime exposures and lifestyle factors results in heterogeneous manifestations of inflammaging, pose that precision measures and interventions should be prioritized, and spotlight a potential role for artificial intelligence in navigating this complexity.

In a modern western environment we face novel (in the grand arc of human existence) “lifetime exposures” including antibiotic use, microplastics, and who knows what else that appear to significantly affect the normal aging and function of the immune system. These (especially in the case of antibiotics) can trigger autoimmune disease or cytokine storms where the immune system attacks the body or otherwise non-threatening things (e.g., pollen).

Can we even assess or identify “normal” aging of the immune system anymore?

Across these articles, the immune system stands out as an early target during aging: the loss of its protective capacities facilitates tissue degeneration and pathology. Weyand and Goronzy, however, highlight the acquisition of autoreactive functions during immune aging, and reflect on recent data that unexpectedly report an increase in autoimmune conditions with age7. They propose that autoimmunity during aging constitutes inappropriate immune youthfulness and suggest that waning immune activity during aging could be beneficial in calibrating autoreactivity.

Interesting.
Live long enough and " …waning immune activity…" might self correct auto immune conditions.
If only.

Meanwhile, auto immune conditions continue to concern and frustrate my and many other’s wellbeing.

I’ve got lots of good stuff going, but I’d certainly welcome a “trade” of some time for healthspan without auto immune reactivity.

1 Like
#4

I think the immune issues are probably just another part of the general failure of the genome as people age. The immune system is unusual because WBCs are used to transfer mitochondria.

I monitor quite a few different sources and aim to post articles on rapamycin news that seem to perhaps be a little bit novel - whether I agree with them or not.

2 Likes
#5

That’s fascinating! I had read that mitochondria were shared via the blood, and made up some fraction there of. I never had an idea how that sharing occurred.

1 Like
#6

There are various ways this is done, one is via some WBCs. EVs also do that.

1 Like
#7

Main Ideas:

  • Virus-Proofing Cells: Church’s team engineered cells resistant to all viruses by removing key codons from the genetic code, which makes it impossible for viruses to evolve around this new system.

  • Space and Radiation Resistance: Synthetic biology can potentially help with the challenges posed by radiation in space travel, with radiation resistance being possible by editing just a few genes.

  • Synthetic Biology’s Advancements: Many concepts once considered science fiction, like genome sequencing and growing organs in animals for transplants, are now being realized in the lab.

  • Gene Editing for Endangered Species: Gene editing may be used to help endangered species survive by granting them new traits, such as resistance to diseases or environmental stresses.

  • Potential for Virus-Proof Humans: While it is theoretically possible to make humans resistant to all viruses, delivering such changes across all human cells remains a significant challenge.

  • Reversing Aging: Gene therapies are advancing to the point where they might soon be able to reverse aging at the cellular level, opening up possibilities for significantly extending human lifespan.

Executive Summary:
George Church’s team has achieved a groundbreaking breakthrough by making cells immune to all viruses, an advancement made possible through the removal of key codons in the genetic code. This method prevents viruses from evolving around the protection, offering potential for virus-proof cell therapies. Additionally, Church discusses his vision for space travel, gene editing for endangered species, and the application of gene therapies to reverse aging, with a focus on making these technologies affordable for the masses. Despite the exciting prospects, he acknowledges the challenges, particularly the difficulty of delivering virus-proofing across all human cells and the long timelines involved in such complex projects. Church emphasizes the rapid progress in synthetic biology, suggesting that the impossible is often just a matter of time and persistence.

Timeline:

00:00:00 – George Church’s team made cells immune to all viruses, a breakthrough for medicine

00:02:34 – Radiation resistance in organisms may come from DNA repair linked to desiccation

00:04:43 – Just a few genes can dramatically improve radiation resistance in bacteria

00:07:16 – Panspermia discussed, but harsh space conditions make it unlikely for frozen microbes

00:10:50 – Space travel may require biological modifications, not just physics solutions

00:14:19 – Church’s book Regenesis explores how synthetic biology can reinvent life

00:18:19 – Traits like height involve thousands of genes, yet single genes can still have huge effects

00:20:57 – Many once “science fiction” ideas, like genome sequencing and pig organs, are now real

00:23:20 – George Church and Craig Venter are more synergistic than competitive in genomics

00:27:17 – Rewriting genetic code creates virus-proof organisms by removing codons

00:35:36 – DNA can be used as ultra-dense, durable data storage, though reading/writing is slow

00:41:06 – Movies like Gattaca and Jurassic Park portray genetics fairly well, with minor flaws

00:44:03 – Gene therapies can be affordable and not limited to the wealthy, like COVID vaccines

00:46:44 – Induced pluripotent stem cells can generate any body cell for therapies

00:49:15 – “Mirror humans” (molecular mirror images) are possible in theory but ethically avoided

00:53:59 – Privacy concerns over genomes are moot since we shed DNA constantly .

00:56:09 – Gene editing aims to help endangered species adapt, not recreate exact extinct animals

01:00:30 – Making virus-proof humans is theoretically possible, but delivery across all cells is challenging

01:02:59 – Gene therapies may soon reverse aging at the cellular level

01:04:18 – Church avoids declaring things “impossible,” but admits to being overly optimistic on timelines

2 Likes