A 2026 review in Nature Reviews Immunology describes how aging alters immune-cell biochemistry and function, producing inflammatory, exhausted and senescent immune phenotypes. These changes can simultaneously contribute to chronic inflammation, reduced pathogen defense and dysfunction in other organs.

That combination makes this an unusually good fit for the Immune & Inflammatory Balance Domain. The Domain intentionally incorporates both sides of the biology — effective immune defense and appropriately regulated inflammatory responses — rather than treating inflammation alone as the entire system.

The paper also emphasizes interactions between immune aging and other biological mechanisms of aging, reinforcing the interconnected systems architecture of the 8 Domains.

Research Reference:
Jang IH, Niedernhofer LJ, Robbins PD, Camell CD, et al. (2026). The ageing immune system as a driver of systemic ageing. Nature Reviews Immunology, 26, 489–506.