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Scientists at University College London are preparing to launch the first clinical trial of a treatment designed to rejuvenate the ageing immune system. The experimental therapy targets exhausted T cells, a type of white blood cell that becomes less effective with age and chronic illness, in the hope of restoring their ability to fight infection and disease.
Rather than attacking a specific disease, the treatment aims to reset the immune system itself. Delivered as an intramuscular injection, it is designed to reprogramme worn-out immune cells so they behave more like younger, healthier cells. Researchers believe this could improve the body's resilience against conditions linked to immune ageing, including cancer, HIV and dementia.
The Phase 1 trial, due to begin later this year, will focus primarily on assessing the therapy's safety and its effects on immune function. Scientists will monitor whether the treatment can restore healthy immune responses in people with signs of immune dysfunction, while clinical benefits will be investigated in later studies.
Although still at an early stage, the research represents a growing effort to tackle ageing by improving the body's natural repair and defence mechanisms, rather than treating individual diseases one at a time.
