What this means
This review summarizes how immune defenses change from birth through adulthood. It points to ideas that could guide future care for older adults, but it does not test any treatment.
Plain-English summary written by an AI model from the abstract. The original is below.
- Who it was tested in
- A review of earlier studies, not a new experiment
- Kind of research
- A summary of earlier studies
The science
- Original title
- Immune system ontogeny-a subtle evolution to perfection.
- Authors
- Munteanu AN, Surcel M, Dobre EG et al.
- Journal
- Frontiers in aging
- Published
- Oct 14, 2026
- Study type
- Review
- PMID
- 42871151 ↗
Abstract
It is well known that both innate and adaptive immune systems in newborns are immature, making them highly susceptible to infection. Additionally, pre-term newborns with hindered immune systems are more prone to increased mortality and morbidity. Newborns are capable of mounting adaptive immune responses, but their capability to develop long-lasting immunity is limited. Thus, the fetus and newborn's immune system is considered "immature" due to functional disorders in immune response or suppression by regulatory cells. Aging is another factor that leads to impaired immune responses due to a state of chronic low-grade inflammation (inflammaging), which compromises defense against pathogens and malignancies and favors the onset of age-related disorders. However, in this complicated scenario, centenarians emerged as a paradigm shift due to their particular immune system that prevents inflammaging and enables them to achieve longevity. Therefore, the present review aims to provide an updated overview of immune response development through neonatal, infant, and adult life in order to highlight stage-specific mechanisms and uniquely regulated immune responses. Taken together, this information provides mechanistic insights that can be harnessed to develop age-adapted interventional strategies and prevent the onset of age-associated disorders in older adults.
Munteanu AN, Surcel M, Dobre EG et al. Immune system ontogeny-a subtle evolution to perfection. Frontiers in aging. 2026. doi:10.3389/fragi.2026.1872955. PMID: 42871151. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42871151/