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Updated: Jul 25, 2025

Evaluation of T Follicular Helper Cells and Germinal Center Response During Influenza A Virus Infection in Mice
Published on: June 27, 2020
Age-dependent changes in T follicular helper cells shape the humoral immune response to vaccination
1Babraham Institute, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Vaccination is an excellent strategy to limit the morbidity and mortality associated with infectious disease. Vaccination creates protective, long-lived antibody-mediated immunity by inducing the germinal centre response, an intricate immune reaction that produces memory B cells and long-lived antibody-secreting plasma cells that provide protection against (re)infection. The magnitude and quality of the germinal centre response declines with age, contributing to poor vaccine-induced immunity in older individuals. T follicular helper cells are essential for the formation and function of the germinal centre response. This review will discuss how age-dependent changes in T follicular helper cells influence the germinal centre response, and the evidence that age-dependent changes need not be a barrier to successful vaccination in the later years of life.
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