# Age-associated defect in ADCC response to COVID-19 vaccine **Authors:** Benjamin L. Sievers, Mazharul Altaf, Mark T. K. Cheng, Kimia Kamelian, Claire Cormie, John R. Bradley, John R. Bradley, Stephen Baker, Barbara Graves, Hannah Stark, Sabine Hein, Ingrid Scholtes, Daniela Caputo, Anne Elmer, Emma Le Gresley, Nathalie Kingston, Patrick Chinnery, Daniel Cooper, Gordon Dougan, Ian Goodfellow, Nathalie Kingston, Paul J. Lehner, Paul A. Lyons, Nicholas J. Matheson, Caroline Saunders, Kenneth G. C. Smith, Charlotte Summers, James Thaventhiran, M. Estee Torok, Mark R. Toshner, Michael P. Weekes, Gisele Alvio, Sharon Baker, Areti Bermperi, Karen Brookes, Isabel Cruz, Ranalie de Jesus, Katie Dempsey, Giovanni Di Stephano, Jason Domingo, Sarah Hewitt, Heather Jones, Sherly Jose, Jenny Kourampa, Caroline McMahon, Vivien Mendoza, Charmain Ocaya, Ciro Pasquale, Marlyn Perales, Carla Ribeiro, Vargas, Bensi Vergese, Laura Watson, Jieniean Worsley, Julie-Ann Zerrudo, Laura Bergamashi, Gräf, Kelvin Hunter, Federica Mescia, John Allison, Heather Biggs, Helen Butcher, Matt Chandler, Debbie Clapham-Riley, Eleanor Dewhurst, Christian Fernandez, Anita Furlong, Jennifer Gray, Tasmin Ivers, Rachel Linger, Mary Kasanicki, Rebecca King, Sarah Meloy, Alexei Moulton, Francesca Muldoon, Nigel Ovington, Sofia Papadia, Christopher J. Penkett, Isabel Phelan, Venkatesh Ranganath, Roxana Paraschiv, Abigail Sage, Jennifer Sambrook, Katherine Schon, Kathleen E. Stirrups, Paul Townsend, Neil Walker, Jennifer Webster, Petra Polgarova, Sarah L. Caddy, Laura G. Caller, Yasmin Chaudhry, Martin D. Curran, Theresa Feltwell, Stewart Fuller, Iliana Georgana, Grant Hall, William L. Hamilton, Myra Hosmillo, Charlotte J. Houldcroft, Rhys Izuagbe, Aminu S. Jahun, Fahad A. Khokhar, Anna G. Kovalenko, Luke W. Meredith, Surendra Parmar, Malte L. Pinckert, Anna Yakovleva, Emily C. Horner, Lucy Booth, Alexander Ferreira, Rebecca Boston, Robert Hughes, Juan Carlos Yam Puc, Nonantzin Beristain-Covarrubias, Maria Rust, Thevinya Gurugama, Lihinya Gurugama, Thomas Mulroney, Sarah Spencer, Zhaleh Hosseini, Kate Williamson, Rainer Doffinger, Ravindra K. Gupta PMC · DOI: 10.1038/s41541-025-01196-9 · NPJ Vaccines · 2025-07-01 ## TL;DR Older individuals show weaker immune responses to the COVID-19 vaccine, particularly in antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. ## Contribution This study reveals age-related impairments in Fc-mediated immune responses following multiple SARS-CoV-2 vaccine doses. ## Key findings - Neutralization titers were similar across age groups. - Individuals over 80 showed reduced ADCC and IgG1 binding. - Age-related decline in Fc-mediated effector functions was observed. ## Abstract We investigated age-associated effects of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in elderly individuals (n = 50, mean age 79) after six SARS-CoV-2 vaccine doses. While neutralization titers remained comparable across age groups, Fc-mediated effector functions declined with age. Individuals >80 demonstrated reduced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), via a surrogate ADCC-signaling assay, correlating with diminished IgG1 binding. These findings highlight age-related impairments in Fc-mediated responses, with implications for immune protection and vaccine strategies in older populations. ## Linked entities - **Diseases:** SARS-CoV-2 (MONDO:0100096) ## Full-text entities - **Diseases:** COVID-19 (MESH:D000086382) - **Species:** Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (no rank) [taxon 2697049] ## Full text _Full body text omitted from this summary view._ Fetch the complete paper as Markdown: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12217920/full.md ## Figures 3 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12217920/full.md ## References 1 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12217920/full.md --- Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12217920