TY - JOUR
T1 - Immune therapy for age-related diseases
AU - Weksler, Marc E.
AU - Pawelec, Graham
AU - Franceschi, Claudio
PY - 2009/7
Y1 - 2009/7
N2 - Human aging is reaching epidemic proportions as life expectancy increases and birth rate decreases. These demographic trends have led to a sharp increase in the diseases of aging, and an understanding of immune senescence promises to limit the development and progression of these diseases. In this review, we discuss three of the most important diseases of aging: shingles, Alzheimer's disease and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. All of these diseases have significant immunological components in either their etiology and/or progression, suggesting that appropriate immune intervention could be used in their prevention or treatment. Indeed, recent clinical studies have already demonstrated that vaccination can reduce the incidence of shingles and might prove effective in patients with Alzheimer's disease and artherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
AB - Human aging is reaching epidemic proportions as life expectancy increases and birth rate decreases. These demographic trends have led to a sharp increase in the diseases of aging, and an understanding of immune senescence promises to limit the development and progression of these diseases. In this review, we discuss three of the most important diseases of aging: shingles, Alzheimer's disease and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. All of these diseases have significant immunological components in either their etiology and/or progression, suggesting that appropriate immune intervention could be used in their prevention or treatment. Indeed, recent clinical studies have already demonstrated that vaccination can reduce the incidence of shingles and might prove effective in patients with Alzheimer's disease and artherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=67649402294&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=67649402294&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.it.2009.03.011
DO - 10.1016/j.it.2009.03.011
M3 - Article
C2 - 19541533
AN - SCOPUS:67649402294
VL - 30
SP - 344
EP - 350
JO - Trends in Immunology
JF - Trends in Immunology
SN - 1471-4906
IS - 7
ER -