Decode the Immunoscience of age-related diseases

Call UE del programma Horizon Europe (HORIZON), bando "Innovative Health Initiative JU Call 13" (HORIZON-JU-IHI-2026-13-two-stage). Tipo di azione: HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions. Stato: aperta. Prossima scadenza: 08/10/2026 (two-stage). Testo ufficiale (in inglese): Scope: The global population is undergoing an unprecedented demographic shift, with the number of individuals aged 65 and older projected to double by 2050, presenting one of the most significant public health challenges of our time. The transition to an ageing society is accompanied by a parallel rise in the prevalence of chronic diseases, multimorbidity, and years lived in poor health, placing immense strain on healthcare systems worldwide [1]. Central to this phenomenon is the progressive decline of immune function with age which not only increases susceptibility to infections and malignancies, but also drives chronic low-grade inflammation, known as "inflammaging" [2]. The profound age-related changes to the immune system are collectively termed immunosenescence. These changes include thymic involution, reduced naive T-cell production, expansion of memory T-cells with limited repertoire diversity, increased inflammatory cytokine production (inflammaging), and broad dysregulation of innate immunity [3] [4]. In parallel, senescent cells accumulate and secrete SASP cytokines—such as IL‑6, IL‑1β, and TNF—which further amplify inflammaging and contribute directly to age‑related immune dysfunction [5]…