Thymosin Alpha 1 as an Adjunct to Influenza Vaccination in the Elderly: Rationale and Trial Summaries

doi:10.1196/annals.1415.050

^{^a} Clinical Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA ^{^b} Institute for Advanced Studies in Aging, Washington, DC, USA ^{^c} Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA^{^d} Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, Rockville, Maryland, USA

From a clinical perspective, the immune deficiency of aging(immune senescence) is not profound. In fact, it may be of littleclinical consequence. However, older people are prone to chronicand debilitating disorders which alone, or in concert with themedications used in their treatment, may add to the age effectand create a more clinically relevant immune deficiency. Asa result, many older people are susceptible to infection. Furthermore,it is now well recognized that older people respond less wellto immunization protocols. Protection against influenza by vaccinationwith hemagluttinin is the prototype example. Despite programsthat have raised vaccination rates dramatically over the pastthree decades, influenza remains a major cause of morbidityand mortality in the elderly. This, in part, is due to the factthat vaccine responses are reduced in older recipients. Strategiesare under development to enhance vaccine efficacy in this populationand one such strategy is the adjuvant use of thymosin alpha1 (T ${alpha}$ 1). In both animal experiments and human trials, there hasbeen demonstrated enhancement of vaccine responses. The findingsto date warrant additional efforts to further examine the roleof T ${alpha}$ 1 in augmenting specific vaccine responses both in the elderlyor in younger subjects in situations in which there are suboptimalquantities of immunizing antigen available.

Part VII. Clinical Applications of Thymosin 1

Rationale and Trial Summaries

Part VII. Clinical Applications of Thymosin ${alpha}$ 1