Joanne Turner, PhD

Dr Turner’s research focuses on the changes that take place in the immune system during the natural aging process and the influence that this has on the capacity of the host to control infectious diseases. During old age many facets of the immune response decline, in particular within the CD4 T cell compartment however, it is also likely that alternative immune mechanisms have arisen that can compensate for these changes. Characterization of how these alternative immune responses participate during infection may aid in the development of vaccines specifically designed for an aging immune system. The laboratory has identified a relationship between increased control of M. tuberculosis infection and the presence of CD8 T cells and IFN-? in the lungs of old mice. Our current model predicts that macrophages within the aging lungs of old mice can produce increased amounts of IL-12 in response to infection with M. tuberculosis which in turn activated CD8 T cells to secrete IFN-?. Such enhanced immunological mechanisms can form the basis for the design of improved vaccines or post-exposure therapies for the elderly.