Immunosenescence, the natural decline of the immune system with age, significantly reduces the effectiveness of cancer vaccines. Yet, despite its clinical importance, age-related immune decline is seldom incorporated into vaccine development pipelines. Current 2D culture systems are unable to capture these complex age-specific immune responses, thereby limiting their predictive value toward clinical translation.

To address this need, Dr. Jucaud’s research team at the Terasaki Institute developed a lymph node paracortex-inspired organ-on-a-chip platform that models key steps in cancer vaccine immune responses, which are characterized by antigen presentation, antigen-specific T cell activation, and downstream tumor-specific cytotoxicity. By comparing immune responses from young and older lymphocytes, the lymph node on-a-chip platform captures functional differences that naturally emerge with age.