Immunological Aging and Immunosenescence: Clinical Implications and Rejuvenation Strategies

This chapter examines the progressive remodeling of immune function with advancing age — a process termed immunosenescence — encompassing alterations in innate immune cell function, thymic involution, T cell repertoire contraction, and chronic low-grade inflammation (inflammaging). It critically evaluates the clinical consequences of age-related immune dysfunction, including increased susceptibility to infection, diminished vaccine responsiveness, and elevated risk of malignancy and autoimmune pathology, drawing on evidence from longitudinal aging studies and geriatric immunology cohorts. The chapter concludes by reviewing emerging interventional strategies — including senolytics, mTOR inhibition, thymic regeneration approaches, and immunological biomarkers of biological aging — that hold promise for mitigating the adverse immune consequences of aging.