Boston Children’s Develop MEMPHIS to Stimulate Immune Response to mRNA Vaccines

Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital have developed an innovative laboratory model, MEMPHIS (Modular Evaluation of Immunogenicity using Multi-Platform Human In vitro Systems), to simulate how human immune systems across different age groups respond to mRNA vaccines. By analyzing whole blood samples, this system evaluates the production of cytokines&mdash;proteins crucial for immune signaling&mdash;induced by mRNA vaccines, offering insights into age-specific immune reactions.
A recent study utilizing the MEMPHIS system revealed that individuals over 60 exhibit weaker innate immune responses compared to younger adults. Specifically, older adults showed a diminished capacity to support Th1 immunity and produced lower levels of key cytokines such as CXCL10, IL-1RA, IFN-gamma, and CCL4. This reduced early immune response may explain why vaccine-induced immunity tends to wane more quickly in older populations.