SysAge | SysAge

SysAge is a collaborative research project aimed at advancing the University of Tartu’s expertise in immunology and healthy ageing. This will be achieved through partnerships with leading institutions in the field, like Institut Pasteur and the University of Copenhagen.

Why is it important to study Aging?

Aging is natural process that brings about numerous life-induced changes, including molecular and cellular damage. These changes affect various systems in the body, particularly the immune system. As people age, their immune function declines through a process known as immunosenescence. This decline leads to several significant consequences, such as increased vulnerability to infections, weaker responses to vaccines, higher rates of inflammatory diseases, and a reduced ability to combat cancer. This decline of healthy immune responses significantly affects the quality of life in older age.

Currently, age-related decline of the immune function is largely considered inevitable, ongoing research is beginning to unravel the molecular and cellular mechanisms behind this process. Research that focuses on finding ways to mitigate the decline of immune responses in older individuals will have a significant impact on public health and alleviate the burden on healthcare systems.

Immune Variability Across the Life Course
Thursday, 29 October 2026 | Institut Pasteur, Paris

Two European research cohorts, SysAge and Milieu Intérieur, come together to organize their first joint conference, “Immune Variability Across the Life Course.” This symposium will explore how the human immune system evolves from early life to old age, highlighting key mechanisms, variability, and opportunities for intervention.

Registration and abstract submission are now open.

You can register via the conference registration form, and submit your abstract through the abstract submission portal (deadline: 31 May 2026).

In alignment with the Institut Pasteur’s scientific strategy (Axis 4: Health and disease at extreme ages of life), the conference will be structured around four thematic sessions: early life window, mid-life changes, later life, and interventions for healthy ageing. The conference will take place at the Amphithéâtre Duclaux, Institut Pasteur.

We are honoured to host distinguished keynote speakers, including Prof. Yasmine Belkaid, President of the Institut Pasteur and internationally recognized for her work on host–microbiota interactions and tissue immunity, with recent research focusing on the mother–child dyad, and Prof. Rose-Anne Kenny, Regius Professor of Physic at Trinity College Dublin and Principal Investigator of TILDA, a leading expert in ageing research integrating large-scale cohort data to study cardiovascular and neurocognitive ageing and promote healthy longevity.

The programme also features an outstanding line-up of invited speakers: Prof. Capucine Picard (Université Paris Cité / Necker–Enfants Malades Hospital), specializing in inborn errors of immunity; Prof. Arnaud Marchant (Université Libre de Bruxelles), focusing on early-life immunology and vaccinology; Prof. Elizabeth Rosser (University College London), studying regulatory B cells and immune tolerance; Dr. Etienne Patin (Institut Pasteur), a population geneticist investigating evolutionary immunology; Dr. Thomas Jackson (Imperial College London), working on virus–host interactions and viral entry; Prof. Arne Akbar (University College London), a leading authority on T cell biology and immune ageing; Prof. Maria Mittelbrunn (CBMSO-CSIC, Madrid), researching immune ageing and intercellular communication; and Prof. Arnaud Didierlaurent, an expert in innate immune activation and vaccine adjuvant biology.