How age, sex and genetics shape our antibodies
Health
Age, biological sex, and human genetic factors influence the production of antibodies during the immune response. A team of scientists from the Institut Pasteur, the CNRS and the Collège de France have shown that these factors determine not only the quantity of antibodies produced but also the specific viral regions they target. This discovery could have major implications for the development of treatments that are better tailored to each individual's profile. The research was published in the journal Nature Immunology on February 16, 2026.
Bibliography
Demographic and genetic factors shape the epitope specificity of the human antibody repertoire against viruses.
Axel Olin, Christian Pou, Anthony Jaquaniello, Jack Crook, Ziyang Tan, Maguelonne Roux, Florian Dubois, Bruno Charbit, Dang Liu, Françoise Donnadieu, Laura Garcia, Camille Lambert, Emma Bloch, Emmanuel Clave, Itauá Leston Araujo, Antoine Toubert, Maxime Rotival, Etienne Simon-Lorière, Michael White, Petter Brodin, Darragh Duffy, Lluis Quintana-Murci et Etienne Patin. Nature Immunology, 16 février 2026.
DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-026-02432-7
