Blood test can predict how long vaccine immunity will last

Good news!

"... Scientists have long been stymied by why some vaccines can coax the body to produce antibodies for decades, while others last mere months. ... “The question of why some vaccines induce durable immunity while others do not has been one of the great mysteries in vaccine science,” ...

Now, a study ... by researchers ... has shown that variation in vaccine durability can, in part, be pinned on a surprising type of blood cell called megakaryocytes, typically implicated in blood clotting. ...

“Our study defines a molecular signature in the blood, induced within a few days of vaccination, that predicts the durability of vaccine responses and provides insights into the fundamental mechanisms underlying vaccine durability.” ...

Further experiments showed that activated megakaryocytes produce key molecules that increase the survival of the bone marrow cells responsible for making antibodies, or plasma cells. When these molecules were blocked, plasma cells survived less in the presence of megakaryocytes. ..."

From the abstract:

"We performed a systems vaccinology analysis to investigate immune responses in humans to an H5N1 influenza vaccine, with and without the AS03 adjuvant, to identify factors influencing antibody response magnitude and durability. Our findings revealed a platelet and adhesion-related blood transcriptional signature on day 7 that predicted the longevity of the antibody response, suggesting a potential role for platelets in modulating antibody response durability.

As platelets originate from megakaryocytes, we explored the effect of thrombopoietin (TPO)-mediated megakaryocyte activation on antibody response longevity. We found that TPO administration enhanced the durability of vaccine-induced antibody responses. TPO-activated megakaryocytes also promoted survival of human bone-marrow plasma cells through integrin β1/β2-mediated cell–cell interactions, along with survival factors APRIL and the MIF–CD74 axis.

Using machine learning, we developed a classifier based on this platelet-associated signature, which predicted antibody response longevity across six vaccines from seven independent trials, highlighting a conserved mechanism for vaccine durability."

Blood test can predict how long vaccine immunity will last | Stanford Report "A surprising class of blood cell not typically associated with immunity plays a role in shaping the durability of immunity to vaccination, new research suggests."

System vaccinology analysis of predictors and mechanisms of antibody response durability to multiple vaccines in humans (no public access)