How long does immunity to the virus last?
One of the greatest elements of uncertainty about COVID-19 is linked to the very nature of the antibody response to the virus. A response that can be very efficient but at the same time inefficient, if not harmful. In this regard, in his interview with Panorama, Andrea Cossarizza draws attention to recent research by the SoLongevity Research team, published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Immunology, which revealed the existence, in COVID patients, of antibodies that damage tissues instead of protecting them.
The most interesting thing about our research is that we know how these antibodies are generated and also how to measure them. But we also know how to detect the useful antibodies, those that protect us. Being able to distinguish between the two different types of antibodies will soon allow us to develop diagnostic tests that can be used to predict the clinical course of COVID and adjust therapeutic choices.
The discovery of cross-reactive antibodies will allow more effective diagnostics in the clinical treatment of COVID-19
Why aging is a variable that matters
But there is another element emerging from antibody studies.
Older adults are the ones who lose them most quickly and, as a result, are more exposed than others to the risk of reinfection. The loss of strength of the immune system in older adults, a phenomenon called immunosenescence, is one of the cornerstones of our research, because the scientific knowledge we have accumulated in recent years on the mechanisms of aging has revealed numerous points of contact between the loss of function of the body’s metabolic systems and that of immune system cells. So much so that today we speak of a new discipline: immunometabolism.
T lymphocytesLymphocytes are the cells that make up the effective portion of the adaptive immune system; they are able to generate and modify antibodies that will recognize antigens in the future. They are present in primary lymphoid organs, secondary lymphoid organs, peripheral blood and lymph (where they are currently named). (those responsible for eliminating virus-infected cells) and B lymphocytes (which produce antibodies) are very sensitive to metabolic imbalances, such as those that lead, for example, to diabetes. After a certain age, the organ responsible for producing T lymphocytes, the thymusThe thymus is a primary organ of the lymphatic system, with endocrine gland function and a key role within the immune system., undergoes a natural process of involution that results in a reduction of circulating T lymphocytes, particularly those responsible for responding to new pathogens.
The gradual loss of circulating T lymphocytes, in turn linked to the metabolic imbalances typical of a certain age and very pronounced in people who do not pay attention to their lifestyle, causes a gradual loss of the ability to respond to new viruses. But also to old viruses, as well as to vaccinations (we all know, for example, that flu vaccination in older adults is less effective than in young people). So much so that even the new coronavirus vaccine might not work, or might work only partially, in older people, who are paradoxically those most affected by COVID.
The senior population is more exposed to the virus because of immunosenescence
Counteracting immunosenescence
But, as we explained in our article in the Science of Longevity section devoted to the problem of COVID in older adults (COVID-19, why are older adults more affected?), these processes too are reversible, just as the aging process as a whole is not inevitable but can be halted, if not even reversed. The biological clock that sets the pace of our cells and faithfully reflects our biological ageDifferent from chronological age. It is a measure of the body's ageing, based on the effectiveness of the mechanisms that keep cells young and on markers of the functionality of organs and apparatus. is reversible (W hat is your biological age? Years have nothing to do with it). Lifestyle first. But targeted nutritional supplementation aimed at restoring immunometabolic balance can also help us turn back the biological clock. Including that of our lymphocytes.
The COVID epidemic, with its tremendous impact on older people, has shown us that intervening in aging processes is not a mere formal exercise, or a whim for a few. Working on aging also means preparing ourselves to face emergency situations like the one we are experiencing with greater calm and peace of mind.
Our research was born with this goal, and today we are seeing the first results.
