Background: Ineffective induction of T cell mediated immunity in older individuals remains a persistent challenge for vaccine development. Thus, there is a need for more efficient and sophisticated adjuvants that will complement novel vaccine strategies for the elderly. To this end, we have investigated a previously optimized, combined molecular adjuvant, CASAC (Combined Adjuvant for Synergistic Activation of Cellular immunity), incorporating two complementary Toll-like receptor agonists, CpG and polyI:C, a class-II epitope, and interferon (IFN)-γ in aged mice. Findings: In aged mice with typical features of immunosenescence, antigen specific CD8+ T cell responses were stimulated after serial vaccinations with CASAC or Complete/Incomplete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA/IFA) and a class I epitope, deriving either from ovalbumin (SIINFEKL, SIL) or the melanoma-associated self-antigen, tyrosinase-related protein-2 (SVYDFFVWL, SVL). Pentamer analysis revealed that aged, CASAC/SIL-vaccinated animals had substantially higher frequencies of H-2K b /SIL-specific CD8+ T cells compared to the CFA/IFA-vaccinated groups. Similarly, higher frequencies of H-2K b /SVL-pentamer+ and IFN-γ+ CD8+ T cells were detected in the aged, CASAC + SVL-vaccinated mice than in their CFA/IFA-vaccinated counterparts. In both antigen settings, CASAC promoted significantly better functional CD8+ T cell activity. Conclusion: These studies demonstrate that functional CD8+ T cells, specific for both foreign and tumour-associated self-antigens, can be effectively induced in aged immunosenescent mice using the novel multi-factorial adjuvant CASAC.
CITATION STYLE
Tye, G. J., Ioannou, K., Amofah, E., Quartey-Papafio, R., Westrop, S. J., Krishnamurthy, P., … Farzaneh, F. (2015). The combined molecular adjuvant CASAC enhances the CD8+ T cell response to a tumor-associated self-antigen in aged, immunosenescent mice. Immunity and Ageing, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12979-015-0033-0
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