I think research is spot pn and is one of the reasons why the Cuban vaccines are so effective. The Sobrena plus regimen consisted of two injections of a tetanus toxoid conjugated just the receptor binding domain of the spike protein followed by a booster of a receptor binding dimer of Covid protein. These vaccines were really designed to result in strong T-cell responses. No one has died in Cuba of covid in the past year and detected infections are in the single digits. Over 90 percent of the population in Cuba has been vaccinated. It really shows that the right vaccines can really control covid.
Yes, getting infected in order to not get infected makes a lot of sense.
It seems to have worked for my brother. He got infected with COVID-19 in November 2020 and hasn’t been infected again. I attribute this to his natural infection and subsequent cremation in January 2021. Ashes don’t get sick.
The vast endeavour to understand immunity has also thrown up new insights into many other areas of human biology too, such as the ageing process. 80–90% of people who die because of the flu virus are over sixty-five.3 Why is it that as we age, our defence against infections grow weaker? Why do we heal less easily and are more likely to succumb to autoimmune diseases? We have learnt that part of the problem is that the elderly have fewer of some types of immune cells circulating in their blood. Another is that immune cells in the elderly are worse at detecting disease. Compounding the challenges of ageing itself is the fact that the elderly often struggle with sleep-deprivation and stress, which also affect our immune system. Working out how much each of these various factors affects our health can be extremely difficult because it is almost impossible to isolate any one of them. While stress affects our immune system, it also correlates with sleep loss, making it hard to know the effect of either on its own. In fact, pretty much everything in the body is connected with everything else – even more so than you might imagine. It has recently emerged that the immune system is intimately connected with a huge range of diseases that appear to be unrelated to its role in fighting germs: heart problems, neurological disorders, even obesity. My first book, The Compatibility Gene, discussed one element of the immune system, a handful of genes that influence our individual responses to infections. The Beautiful Cure is about the bigger picture: how and why the activity of our immune system varies, how it is regulated and directed, all of its component parts – the whole shebang. This is also a book about how scientific ideas develop. The quest to understand immunity is one of humankind’s greatest scientific adventures, and the impersonal knowledge we have now has been won through a saga of personal hardships, triumphs and sacrifices. Many men and women have devoted their careers, and much of their lives, to understanding a mere fragment of the whole. This quest has created many deep friendships; passion for science can be a powerful bond. On the other hand, there are a few scientists involved who now can’t stand to be in same room together. Countless researchers have contributed, each making wondrous discoveries about particular cells or molecules in our immune system, but in the in the elderly are worse at detecting disease. Compounding the challenges of ageing itself is the fact that the elderly often struggle with sleep-deprivation and stress, which also affect our immune system. Working out how much each of these various factors affects our health can be extremely difficult because it is almost impossible to isolate any one of them. While stress affects our immune system, it also correlates with sleep loss, making it hard to know the effect of either on its own. In fact, pretty much everything in the body is connected with everything else – even more so than you might imagine. It has recently emerged that the immune system is intimately connected with a huge range of diseases that appear to be unrelated to its role in fighting germs: heart problems, neurological disorders, even obesity. My first book, The Compatibility Gene, discussed one element of the immune system, a handful of genes that influence our individual responses to infections. The Beautiful Cure is about the bigger picture: how and why the activity of our immune system varies, how it is regulated and directed, all of its component parts – the whole shebang.
Further on page 141-142:
Returning to the immune system specifically, part of the problem we face in old age is that our bodies produce fewer immune cells. Different studies have come to slightly different conclusions as to which types of immune cell continue to be produced at a steady rate and which do not, but there is a decrease overall. One of the probable reasons for this is that bone-marrow stem cells, which produce immune cells, lose their regenerative potential over time likely because of the accumulated damage to their DNA. Evidence for this comes from the fact that bone marrow from an older person is less efficient in establishing a new set of immune cells when used for transplantation to help a cancer patient.65 This is one reason why charities which recruit bone-marrow donors are especially keen to sign up younger people.66 In addition, immune cells in elderly people are poorer at detecting signs of disease and respond less efficiently to the protein molecules that direct them to a wound or the site of an infection. Although they are able to move just as fast as cells isolated from younger people, they are therefore less accurate in getting to where they are needed.67 This fits with a simple view that the immune system in an elderly person is weaker, but this isn’t the whole story. At the same time, signs of an active immune response – cytokines, clotting factors and other inflammatory molecules – are often found at higher levels in the blood of elderly people, even when there are no overt signs of infection.68 This phenomenon is sometimes called ‘inflamm-ageing’. There are many reasons why a low level of background inflammation might persist in elderly people, such as there being an accumulation of damaged or senescent cells, but the effect is that the system is less able to discriminate between germs and the body’s own cells and tissues, and is particularly weak at detecting germs that have never been encountered before. In broad-brush terms, it is easier for an immune reaction to be triggered in elderly people but, by the same token, the system is less stringent in responding appropriately. Some changes to our health might be the inevitable consequence of immune cells ageing, in the same way that all cells age, but this does not obviously account for all of the complicated changes that happen to the system overall. Once again, to understand complex phenomena such as what happens to the immune system as we age, understanding each component of the system helps but doesn’t give us the whole picture; we need also to understand how the various components interact. Effects arise not just from the ageing of immune cells but from the ageing of the system as a whole – a consequence of the system already having spent decades battling germs.
Thank you for the very concise and informative information. Would you please write about the immunity maturation process, germinal centers and how length of time between exposures (vaccine and/or infection) impacts broad and deep development of immunity.
Have you got any statistics regarding the protection from serious disease/death for those who are fully vaccinated but are in their 60s and 70s? I’ve read that the immune system ages like everything else. How well do these t-cells, etc. work for older folks? Do we know very much?
Great post Dr. Offit. I have an aunt who was a researcher at J&J and spent the bulk of her career developing a T-cell mediated treatment for transplant rejection. She always implores us to “talk to your T-cells!” Joking aside how do we do that?
No matter what the questions are in terms of improving health, the answers almost always include the same lifestyle imperatives - good nutrition, exercise, sleep, healthy weight, stress reduction. We’ve heard it all so many times that it becomes boring and we sometimes then search for something novel, like an unproven supplement. But stick with the basics to boost T-cells, and vaccines!
The vast endeavour to understand immunity has also thrown up new insights into many other areas of human biology too, such as the ageing process. 80–90% of people who die because of the flu virus are over sixty-five.3 Why is it that as we age, our defence against infections grow weaker? Why do we heal less easily and are more likely to succumb to autoimmune diseases? We have learnt that part of the problem is that the elderly have fewer of some types of immune cells circulating in their blood. Another is that immune cells in the elderly are worse at detecting disease. Compounding the challenges of ageing itself is the fact that the elderly often struggle with sleep-deprivation and stress, which also affect our immune system. Working out how much each of these various factors affects our health can be extremely difficult because it is almost impossible to isolate any one of them. While stress affects our immune system, it also correlates with sleep loss, making it hard to know the effect of either on its own. In fact, pretty much everything in the body is connected with everything else – even more so than you might imagine. It has recently emerged that the immune system is intimately connected with a huge range of diseases that appear to be unrelated to its role in fighting germs: heart problems, neurological disorders, even obesity. My first book, The Compatibility Gene, discussed one element of the immune system, a handful of genes that influence our individual responses to infections. The Beautiful Cure is about the bigger picture: how and why the activity of our immune system varies, how it is regulated and directed, all of its component parts – the whole shebang.
Also Page 141-142
Returning to the immune system specifically, part of the problem we face in old age is that our bodies produce fewer immune cells. Different studies have come to slightly different conclusions as to which types of immune cell continue to be produced at a steady rate and which do not, but there is a decrease overall. One of the probable reasons for this is that bone-marrow stem cells, which produce immune cells, lose their regenerative potential over time likely because of the accumulated damage to their DNA. Evidence for this comes from the fact that bone marrow from an older person is less efficient in establishing a new set of immune cells when used for transplantation to help a cancer patient.65 This is one reason why charities which recruit bone-marrow donors are especially keen to sign up younger people.66 In addition, immune cells in elderly people are poorer at detecting signs of disease and respond less efficiently to the protein molecules that direct them to a wound or the site of an infection. Although they are able to move just as fast as cells isolated from younger people, they are therefore less accurate in getting to where they are needed.67 This fits with a simple view that the immune system in an elderly person is weaker, but this isn’t the whole story. At the same time, signs of an active immune response – cytokines, clotting factors and other inflammatory molecules – are often found at higher levels in the blood of elderly people, even when there are no overt signs of infection.68 This phenomenon is sometimes called ‘inflamm-ageing’. There are many reasons why a low level of background inflammation might persist in elderly people, such as there being an accumulation of damaged or senescent cells, but the effect is that the system is less able to discriminate between germs and the body’s own cells and tissues, and is particularly weak at detecting germs that have never been encountered before. In broad-brush terms, it is easier for an immune reaction to be triggered in elderly people but, by the same token, the system is less stringent in responding appropriately. Some changes to our health might be the inevitable consequence of immune cells ageing, in the same way that all cells age, but this does not obviously account for all of the complicated changes that happen to the system overall. Once again, to understand complex phenomena such as what happens to the immune system as we age, understanding each component of the system helps but doesn’t give us the whole picture; we need also to understand how the various components interact. Effects arise not just from the ageing of immune cells but from the ageing of the system as a whole – a consequence of the system already having spent decades battling germs.
Thank you. Not very encouraging for those of us who aren't just over 65, but over 75, is it. It will be interesting to see what the percentage of those dying from Covid is, compared to the 85-90% who die from flu.
I think research is spot pn and is one of the reasons why the Cuban vaccines are so effective. The Sobrena plus regimen consisted of two injections of a tetanus toxoid conjugated just the receptor binding domain of the spike protein followed by a booster of a receptor binding dimer of Covid protein. These vaccines were really designed to result in strong T-cell responses. No one has died in Cuba of covid in the past year and detected infections are in the single digits. Over 90 percent of the population in Cuba has been vaccinated. It really shows that the right vaccines can really control covid.
I guess it's safe now to tout natural infection
Yes, getting infected in order to not get infected makes a lot of sense.
It seems to have worked for my brother. He got infected with COVID-19 in November 2020 and hasn’t been infected again. I attribute this to his natural infection and subsequent cremation in January 2021. Ashes don’t get sick.
Thanks very much, John
I hope these extracts are useful:
The vast endeavour to understand immunity has also thrown up new insights into many other areas of human biology too, such as the ageing process. 80–90% of people who die because of the flu virus are over sixty-five.3 Why is it that as we age, our defence against infections grow weaker? Why do we heal less easily and are more likely to succumb to autoimmune diseases? We have learnt that part of the problem is that the elderly have fewer of some types of immune cells circulating in their blood. Another is that immune cells in the elderly are worse at detecting disease. Compounding the challenges of ageing itself is the fact that the elderly often struggle with sleep-deprivation and stress, which also affect our immune system. Working out how much each of these various factors affects our health can be extremely difficult because it is almost impossible to isolate any one of them. While stress affects our immune system, it also correlates with sleep loss, making it hard to know the effect of either on its own. In fact, pretty much everything in the body is connected with everything else – even more so than you might imagine. It has recently emerged that the immune system is intimately connected with a huge range of diseases that appear to be unrelated to its role in fighting germs: heart problems, neurological disorders, even obesity. My first book, The Compatibility Gene, discussed one element of the immune system, a handful of genes that influence our individual responses to infections. The Beautiful Cure is about the bigger picture: how and why the activity of our immune system varies, how it is regulated and directed, all of its component parts – the whole shebang. This is also a book about how scientific ideas develop. The quest to understand immunity is one of humankind’s greatest scientific adventures, and the impersonal knowledge we have now has been won through a saga of personal hardships, triumphs and sacrifices. Many men and women have devoted their careers, and much of their lives, to understanding a mere fragment of the whole. This quest has created many deep friendships; passion for science can be a powerful bond. On the other hand, there are a few scientists involved who now can’t stand to be in same room together. Countless researchers have contributed, each making wondrous discoveries about particular cells or molecules in our immune system, but in the in the elderly are worse at detecting disease. Compounding the challenges of ageing itself is the fact that the elderly often struggle with sleep-deprivation and stress, which also affect our immune system. Working out how much each of these various factors affects our health can be extremely difficult because it is almost impossible to isolate any one of them. While stress affects our immune system, it also correlates with sleep loss, making it hard to know the effect of either on its own. In fact, pretty much everything in the body is connected with everything else – even more so than you might imagine. It has recently emerged that the immune system is intimately connected with a huge range of diseases that appear to be unrelated to its role in fighting germs: heart problems, neurological disorders, even obesity. My first book, The Compatibility Gene, discussed one element of the immune system, a handful of genes that influence our individual responses to infections. The Beautiful Cure is about the bigger picture: how and why the activity of our immune system varies, how it is regulated and directed, all of its component parts – the whole shebang.
Further on page 141-142:
Returning to the immune system specifically, part of the problem we face in old age is that our bodies produce fewer immune cells. Different studies have come to slightly different conclusions as to which types of immune cell continue to be produced at a steady rate and which do not, but there is a decrease overall. One of the probable reasons for this is that bone-marrow stem cells, which produce immune cells, lose their regenerative potential over time likely because of the accumulated damage to their DNA. Evidence for this comes from the fact that bone marrow from an older person is less efficient in establishing a new set of immune cells when used for transplantation to help a cancer patient.65 This is one reason why charities which recruit bone-marrow donors are especially keen to sign up younger people.66 In addition, immune cells in elderly people are poorer at detecting signs of disease and respond less efficiently to the protein molecules that direct them to a wound or the site of an infection. Although they are able to move just as fast as cells isolated from younger people, they are therefore less accurate in getting to where they are needed.67 This fits with a simple view that the immune system in an elderly person is weaker, but this isn’t the whole story. At the same time, signs of an active immune response – cytokines, clotting factors and other inflammatory molecules – are often found at higher levels in the blood of elderly people, even when there are no overt signs of infection.68 This phenomenon is sometimes called ‘inflamm-ageing’. There are many reasons why a low level of background inflammation might persist in elderly people, such as there being an accumulation of damaged or senescent cells, but the effect is that the system is less able to discriminate between germs and the body’s own cells and tissues, and is particularly weak at detecting germs that have never been encountered before. In broad-brush terms, it is easier for an immune reaction to be triggered in elderly people but, by the same token, the system is less stringent in responding appropriately. Some changes to our health might be the inevitable consequence of immune cells ageing, in the same way that all cells age, but this does not obviously account for all of the complicated changes that happen to the system overall. Once again, to understand complex phenomena such as what happens to the immune system as we age, understanding each component of the system helps but doesn’t give us the whole picture; we need also to understand how the various components interact. Effects arise not just from the ageing of immune cells but from the ageing of the system as a whole – a consequence of the system already having spent decades battling germs.
Thank you for the very concise and informative information. Would you please write about the immunity maturation process, germinal centers and how length of time between exposures (vaccine and/or infection) impacts broad and deep development of immunity.
Have you got any statistics regarding the protection from serious disease/death for those who are fully vaccinated but are in their 60s and 70s? I’ve read that the immune system ages like everything else. How well do these t-cells, etc. work for older folks? Do we know very much?
Great post Dr. Offit. I have an aunt who was a researcher at J&J and spent the bulk of her career developing a T-cell mediated treatment for transplant rejection. She always implores us to “talk to your T-cells!” Joking aside how do we do that?
No matter what the questions are in terms of improving health, the answers almost always include the same lifestyle imperatives - good nutrition, exercise, sleep, healthy weight, stress reduction. We’ve heard it all so many times that it becomes boring and we sometimes then search for something novel, like an unproven supplement. But stick with the basics to boost T-cells, and vaccines!
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-to-boost-your-immune-system
I agree with you - boring. Maybe somebody could coin a phrase like "proper living" which, if widely adopted, would save a few words.
Yes the immune system is not immune to the aging process. “The Beautiful Cure”by Daniel M Davis page 139-140 maybe useful.
Any chance you could email those pages to these comments? I'd like to see them but I'd rather not buy the book to read two pages. Cheap😁
I’ve no problem sending you the relevant pages.
Thanks very much. Can you post them here?
The vast endeavour to understand immunity has also thrown up new insights into many other areas of human biology too, such as the ageing process. 80–90% of people who die because of the flu virus are over sixty-five.3 Why is it that as we age, our defence against infections grow weaker? Why do we heal less easily and are more likely to succumb to autoimmune diseases? We have learnt that part of the problem is that the elderly have fewer of some types of immune cells circulating in their blood. Another is that immune cells in the elderly are worse at detecting disease. Compounding the challenges of ageing itself is the fact that the elderly often struggle with sleep-deprivation and stress, which also affect our immune system. Working out how much each of these various factors affects our health can be extremely difficult because it is almost impossible to isolate any one of them. While stress affects our immune system, it also correlates with sleep loss, making it hard to know the effect of either on its own. In fact, pretty much everything in the body is connected with everything else – even more so than you might imagine. It has recently emerged that the immune system is intimately connected with a huge range of diseases that appear to be unrelated to its role in fighting germs: heart problems, neurological disorders, even obesity. My first book, The Compatibility Gene, discussed one element of the immune system, a handful of genes that influence our individual responses to infections. The Beautiful Cure is about the bigger picture: how and why the activity of our immune system varies, how it is regulated and directed, all of its component parts – the whole shebang.
Also Page 141-142
Returning to the immune system specifically, part of the problem we face in old age is that our bodies produce fewer immune cells. Different studies have come to slightly different conclusions as to which types of immune cell continue to be produced at a steady rate and which do not, but there is a decrease overall. One of the probable reasons for this is that bone-marrow stem cells, which produce immune cells, lose their regenerative potential over time likely because of the accumulated damage to their DNA. Evidence for this comes from the fact that bone marrow from an older person is less efficient in establishing a new set of immune cells when used for transplantation to help a cancer patient.65 This is one reason why charities which recruit bone-marrow donors are especially keen to sign up younger people.66 In addition, immune cells in elderly people are poorer at detecting signs of disease and respond less efficiently to the protein molecules that direct them to a wound or the site of an infection. Although they are able to move just as fast as cells isolated from younger people, they are therefore less accurate in getting to where they are needed.67 This fits with a simple view that the immune system in an elderly person is weaker, but this isn’t the whole story. At the same time, signs of an active immune response – cytokines, clotting factors and other inflammatory molecules – are often found at higher levels in the blood of elderly people, even when there are no overt signs of infection.68 This phenomenon is sometimes called ‘inflamm-ageing’. There are many reasons why a low level of background inflammation might persist in elderly people, such as there being an accumulation of damaged or senescent cells, but the effect is that the system is less able to discriminate between germs and the body’s own cells and tissues, and is particularly weak at detecting germs that have never been encountered before. In broad-brush terms, it is easier for an immune reaction to be triggered in elderly people but, by the same token, the system is less stringent in responding appropriately. Some changes to our health might be the inevitable consequence of immune cells ageing, in the same way that all cells age, but this does not obviously account for all of the complicated changes that happen to the system overall. Once again, to understand complex phenomena such as what happens to the immune system as we age, understanding each component of the system helps but doesn’t give us the whole picture; we need also to understand how the various components interact. Effects arise not just from the ageing of immune cells but from the ageing of the system as a whole – a consequence of the system already having spent decades battling germs.
Thank you. Not very encouraging for those of us who aren't just over 65, but over 75, is it. It will be interesting to see what the percentage of those dying from Covid is, compared to the 85-90% who die from flu.