Aging is the single largest risk factor for a wide spectrum of chronic diseases and mortality. An outstanding question in biology is how we lose the ability to maintain homeostasis and become susceptible to diseases and mortality. What has emerged from groundbreaking research over the past decade is that the decline in function of aging organ systems is caused by a discreet number of biological mechanisms, of which immune  dysfunction is a large contributor. Dysfunction of the aging immune system results in suboptimal immune responses to vaccines and infectious diseases in older adults as has been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mechanistically, recent single cell sequencing studies suggest that one mechanism contributing to dysfunction of the aging immune system is a widespread basal activation of immune cells across tissues.

This Keystone Symposia conference will provide a venue for researchers from around the world to address recent discoveries and understand how the immune system becomes dysregulated during the aging process and impinges upon tissue functions, organismal healthspan and survival. Questions to be addressed include:

1) How does aging of hematopoietic stem cells contribute to dysfunction of the aging immune system and impact distant tissues?

2) How do changes in innate and adaptive immune function with age compromise immunity?

3) What are the origins of aging-associated inflammation and how does inflammation impact tissue functions, and contribute to aging-related conditions?

4) Are aging-associated changes in the immune system reversible? 5) What are the clinical implications and therapeutic potential for targeting the aging immune system as a new way to treat aging-related diseases and decrease mortality?

To address these questions, the symposium will gather investigators from various fields including biology of aging, immunology, hematopoietic stem cells and hematopoiesis, neurology, and metabolic biology.