In response to infection or vaccination, germinal centre responses generate long-lived antibody secreting plasma cells and memory B cells. Vaccination programs have utilised this to efficiently protect against previously fatal infectious diseases. Despite these advances in preventive medicine, protecting aged individuals against seasonal epidemics such as influenza has proven difficult as their ability to generate a robust, protective memory after vaccination is strongly reduced. My project will investigate how cellular and molecular changes that occur in T cells in response to ageing contribute to the decline in the strength of immune responses.
