Development of the non-human primate model for studying the aging of the Immune System

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K21601
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Studies on the Super-Aging Society
• Research Institution: National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition
• Principal Investigator: Yamamoto Takuya 国立研究開発法人医薬基盤・健康・栄養研究所, 医薬基盤研究所 免疫老化プロジェクト, プロジェクトリーダー (60752368)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-06-28 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 免疫老化 / aging / T細胞 / フローサイトメーター / 次世代シークエンス / 老化 / 非ヒト霊長類

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Immunosenescence is known as the process by which the immune system changes with age, and it is known to be associated with increasing the risks of cancers and infectious diseases in elderly individuals. However, the true nature of immunosenescence remains to be elucidated. In this study, we conducted the use of cynomolgus macaques with a wide range of age groups in the same animal facility and examined the qualitative and quantitative changes of each immune cell in these cynomolgus macaques. We found that (1) telomere lengths and telomerase activities of hematopoietic progenitor cells were declined in aged cynomolgus macaques, (2) this phenotype is inherited by especially naive T cells, (3) the number of naive T cells was decreased like human beings and (4) the production of some inflammatory cytokines by effector memory T cells was enhanced.

Free Research Field

超高齢社会研究

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

加齢による免疫系への影響は、様々な免疫担当細胞の活性化状態やサイトカイン産生の変化といった質的変化や量的変化など、多岐に渡る可能性が示唆されている。このような複雑な現象を理解するためには、ヒト臨床検体と個体レベルでの解析が必要である。これまで、免疫老化研究を対象とする実験動物モデルは確立されていなかったが、本研究によりカニクイザルの有用性を示すことに成功した。今後さらにカニクイザルを用いた詳細な解析を行うことで、免疫老化をふまえた新規ワクチンの開発や免疫療法の確立が期待できる。