DCS - An investigation to enhance immunity to influenza in elderly individuals through reversal of the immune senescence

流感是一个主要的健康问题，尽管60岁以上的人每年都要接种流感疫苗，但很多人对疫苗的免疫反应很差。现在很清楚，老年人免疫系统出现问题的一个原因是他们携带巨细胞病毒（CMV）等慢性病毒感染。免疫系统必须非常努力地控制这些感染，这就转移了。他们远离新的传染病，如流感。我们建议使用通常用于治疗唇疱疹等疾病的抗病毒药物来抑制巨细胞病毒，从而使免疫系统从对抗病毒中恢复过来。我们预计，免疫反应的效率将会提高，并对流感疫苗作出更强的反应。在研究的第一部分，我们将找到最有效的片剂剂量，看看它需要服用多长时间。在第二部分中，我们将在接受流感疫苗接种的大量老年捐赠者中使用这一剂量。因此，我们将测试这种干预是否有效。如果得到证实，这种形式的治疗在广泛的临床条件下可能是有价值的，并有助于促进健康老龄化。

Flu is a major health concern and although flu vaccination is given every year to people over the age of 60 years, a lot of people make a poor immune response to the vaccine. It is now clear that one reason why older people can develop problems with their immune system is that they carry chronic viral infections such as cytomegalovirus (CMV). The immune system has to work very hard to control these infections and this ?diverts? them away from new infections such as flu.We propose to use anti-viral drugs, that are often used to treat diseases such as cold sores, to dampen down CMV and therefore allow the immune system to recover from fighting the virus. We anticipate that the efficiency of the immune response will then improve and make a stronger response to flu vaccination.In the first part of the study we will find the dose of tablet that is most effective in this effect and see how long it needs to be taken for. In a second section we will use this dose in a large cohort of elderly donors who are receiving their influenza vaccine. We will therefore test if this intervention is effective. If proven, this form of treatment could be valuable in a wide range of clinical conditions and help to promote healthy ageing.