Immunologists Enhance Immune Response of Newborns
By Biotechdaily staff writers
Posted on 10 May 2006
Researchers have learned that the immune system of newborns may be stimulated to allow the successful vaccination of children at a much earlier age than is currently accepted.Posted on 10 May 2006
Investigators at Harvard University's Children's Hospital (Boston, MA, USA) studied the response of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) from monocytes isolated from the blood of newborn infants.
Observations of TLRs from newborns have usually led to the conclusion that they fail to respond to antigens. However, by evaluating each TLR separately, the investigators found that TLR8 responded to antigen stimulation in a fashion similar to that found in adults. This response included the production of normal, adult levels of two key cytokines--TNF-alpha and IL-12--and another immune-system stimulant, CD40. These findings were published in the April 25, 2006, online edition of Blood.
"These findings suggest that agents that stimulate TLR8 could be used to enhance immune responses in newborns, perhaps as adjuvants given along with vaccines,” said first author Dr. Ofer Levy, professor of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital.
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