Archive · 23 Jan 2026
Scientists Find Way to Rejuvenate Immune System
Scientists have found a way to help the immune system stay strong as we get older.
The immune system gets weaker with age, making it harder for the body to fight off diseases.
The thymus, a small organ near the heart, is important for making T cells, which help protect the body.
As we age, the thymus shrinks and makes fewer T cells.
Researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard found a way to make the liver act like a thymus.
They used special instructions to tell liver cells to make signals that help T cells grow and work better.
This could help older people stay healthier for longer by boosting their immune system.
Scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard discovered a method to rejuvenate the thymus, a vital organ for immune function.
The thymus shrinks with age, reducing T-cell production and weakening the immune system.
Researchers reprogrammed liver cells to produce signals that stimulate T-cell maturation and function.
The study involved delivering mRNA instructions for immune factors DLL1, FLT-3, and IL-7 via lipid nanoparticles.
Successful experiments in mice showed renewed T-cell production, offering potential for extending immune protection in older adults.
- Who
- Researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
- What
- Discovered a method to rejuvenate the thymus and boost T-cell production
- When
- Study published in December 2025
- Where
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
- Why
- To combat the natural decline of the immune system with age
- Research Institute
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
- Key Researchers
- Feng Zhang, Mirco Friedrich
- Study Publication
- Nature (December 2025)
- Organ Targeted
- Thymus
- Key Immune Factors
- DLL1, FLT-3, IL-7
- Delivery Method
- mRNA via lipid nanoparticles
- Test Subjects
- Mice