Can the weakened immune systems of older individuals be rejuvenated? Researchers from the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ), the HI-STEM* institute, and the Broad Institute have demonstrated that this is possible with an innovative approach.

In a study now published in Nature, the team showed that mRNA technology can be used to transform the liver in mice into a temporary source of important immune regulatory factors that are naturally lost during ageing.

This restores the formation of new immune cells, allowing older animals to develop robust immune responses again and fight tumours effectively.

With age, the immune system loses its power: the body's defence against infection weakens, tumour cells run rampant, and vaccinations become less effective. The underlying cause is the involution of the thymus gland.

This small organ, located above the heart, is responsible for the maturation of T cells in young people. With the age-related decline of the thymus, the number of T cells decreases, the repertoire of antigens they recognise shrinks, and immune responses become weaker overall.

“Much has already been attempted to halt or reverse the age-related involution of the thymus,” explains Mirco Friedrich (DKFZ, HI-STEM, Broad Institute).

“Unfortunately, without much success so far.” Together with his colleagues in Feng Zhang’s department at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Friedrich pursued a completely novel approach to rejuvenating the ageing immune system.

The idea: the liver as a temporary immune organ

The researchers first investigated which maturation signals are lacking in the immune system in old age. Using complex single-cell analyses, they discovered that three important signalling pathways in particular decline with age: Notch signalling, FLT3 ligand, and interleukin-7.

All three are crucial for the maturation of young T cells in the thymus and for the function of central immune cells. What if these signals could be artificially substituted? The team developed a combination of three mRNA molecules that code for these three signalling factors.

Packaged in tiny fat droplets (“lipid nanoparticles”), the mRNA molecules enter the liver cells of the mice. There, they briefly produce precisely those proteins that are lacking in the ageing immune system.

This therapy has dramatic effects: Older mice once again produce more young, naive T cells and are thus much better able to ward off new pathogens.

At the same time, the functions of two other important players in the immune system, dendritic cells and B cells, which often lose activity with age, improve.

The immunological improvements are directly reflected in the ability to respond to vaccinations – an effect that corresponded to a “rejuvenation” of the vaccine response by several months in the study – which represents a significant improvement given the short lifespan of mice.

Rejuvenated immune system can suppress tumour cells

The effect on tumours is also remarkable. After mRNA treatment, more tumour-fighting CD8 T cells invaded the tissue again, and the animals responded significantly better to immunotherapies such as checkpoint inhibitors.

This form of therapy is known to be less effective in older patients than in younger ones. In particularly aggressive melanoma models, it was even possible to completely suppress tumours – a result that was not observed in untreated old mice.

The researchers deliberately designed the effect of mRNA therapy to be temporary. The mRNA is only converted into proteins in the liver for a short time, and the signalling factors produced disappear again after a while.

This allows the effect to be finely dosed and minimises the risk of unintended long-term changes. There was no evidence of autoimmunity or liver toxicity. 

Great potential of mRNA therapies

The results open up a new perspective: instead of directly repairing the age-related shrinkage and functional impairment of the thymus, the important maturation signals for the immune system can simply be generated at another accessible location in the body.

The liver is particularly well suited for this purpose, as it naturally releases large amounts of proteins into the bloodstream and its synthesis capacity remains largely intact even in old age.

The authors see great potential in this versatile approach, which can be flexibly expanded. For example, it is conceivable that in the future, other factors that are lost during ageing and contribute to a decline in immune function could be replaced.

“The immune system ages, but it does not irreversibly lose its abilities. If we provide it with the missing signals again, it can once more perform amazing feats,” explains first author Mirco Friedrich, who, in addition to his research activities, works as a haematologist-oncologist at Heidelberg University Hospital.

The study highlights the potential of modern mRNA technologies far beyond their known applications in vaccines—as tools that can be used to restore biological functions in a time-limited and extremely precise manner.

Article: Transient hepatic reconstitution of trophic factors enhances aged immunity

Source: German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ)