Can our immune system return again?
For years, the idea of “restoring the youth of the immune system” remained closer to the dreams of science fiction than to the ground. A scene that reminds us of the future films in which a person appears immune to diseases, with an immune system that does not grow or weakens. But this idea – which has long been considered exaggerated – has begun to turn into a scientific fact that educates the rules of traditional medicine.
In April 2025, researchers at the University of Sheffield published in the prestigious Cell Reports, a study described as a “turning point in immunology and aging.” Professor Charlotte Moss, a professor of immune genetics, was led by the research, which was unveiled for a shocking fact: “The immune system does not grow up with the body … but rather precedes it in ten years.”
This discovery does not open only a door for a new understanding of human aging, but also the spark of a new medical revolution that is expected to be led by artificial intelligence – a revolution aimed at monitoring and stopping the aging of immunity before it is embodied in the form of illness
The beginning of the shock: The immune system is old first
Of all the body’s systems, no one expected the immune system to be the first to be old. However, the results of the study of the University of Sheffield British turned this hypothesis upside down, after it revealed that the immune deterioration begins ten years before the signs of aging.
In other words: You may seem a young man in the mirror … but your immune system is silently inside. In the depth of this deterioration, the researchers have a gradual imbalance that afflicts two basic Jennies, MYC and USF1, who are responsible for stimulating macrovage cells – immune cells similar to the “front guard” that attacks any external threat, from viruses to cancerous cells.
As age, these genes begin to lose their efficiency, so macrovage cells become less active, slower, and weakened by destruction. The result? A flabby immune system, which fails to contain infection quickly, and facilitates the infiltration of silent infections that are associated with many chronic diseases such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, and dementia. As Professor Moss said: “What we monitor is not just immune exhaustion … but a programmed collapse that starts from the genetic code itself.”
Where do “macrov” cells come from? Macrophaages is a specialized type of white blood cells, specifically from the only cells (monocytes) – a large white blood cell that arises in the bone marrow.
The journey begins when the only cells of the bone marrow are secreted into the bloodstream, as it rotates for only a few hours before migrating into different body tissues (such as the liver, lungs, skin, and spleen). Once she reaches these tissues, the only cells turn into mature Macrovag, and begin to perform their basic tasks:
Thursing bacteria and viruses.
Clean dead cells.
Activating the rest of the immune system elements.
Macrovag is the first line of defense in fungal immunity, that is, the part of the immune system, which moves immediately and in an unique manner when exposed to any threat. Professor Moss says: “We do not monitor mere signs of aging … but rather a programmed collapse that starts from the genes themselves. The aging of immunity is not the result of age, but rather a biological effect that begins prematurely. ”
Immunity, brain and artificial intelligence
Additional evidence is highlighted from the world, when immunity intersects with the brain … and leads future artificial intelligence.
* Decreased immunity and neural protection. The story of “aging of immunity” does not stop at the borders of the immune system alone, but rather transcends it to the brain itself. A Chinese study published in the Nature AGing magazine in March 2025 revealed an amazing interconnection between the nervous system and the immune system, as it was found that the decline in immunity efficiency with age leads to a decrease in normal neurological protection, which pave the way for the emergence of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson at an earlier time and at a faster pace.
In parallel, Stanford University conducted a pioneering experience published in January 2025, during which it used advanced artificial intelligence systems to analyze the IMMUNE Signature of more than 5,000 people of multiple age groups.
* Artificial intelligence determines “immune life”. The amazing discovery was that artificial intelligence was able to determine what is known as IMMUNE AGE – a new concept that indicates the true biological life of the immune system, which may differ completely from the age of a person.
In other words: You may be forty years of age … but your immune system was sixty! This new evaluation opens the door for personal proactive medicine, through which the body’s condition can be predicted before the symptoms appear, and to develop preventive plans for each individual, based on his immune life, not paper.
* Artificial intelligence redraws the future of immunity. Artificial intelligence is no longer just a tool for analyzing medical images or data management, but today it has become a strategic ally in understanding the immune system, with an extreme ability to analyze millions of immune cells and classify them accurately according to its condition, its response, and the speed of its aging. This analysis not only enables doctors to make accurate decisions, but also opens the door for pre -emptive medicine for each individual before any symptoms appear.
In a pioneering experience published in Nature Biomedical Engineering in February 2025, researchers used Deep Learning Models to analyze cytokin levels – inflammatory molecules secreted by immune cells when there is a defect or infection.
Then the regime linked these indicators with early stages of silent immune decline, and managed to uncover a hidden deterioration that was not apparent in traditional tests.
The results were shocking: People who are considered “completely healthy” on paper, showed a silent immune deterioration that was not discovered by traditional medicine, but was revealed by artificial intelligence only!
This ability to see what is not seen is giving artificial intelligence a new position in modern medicine: not as a diagnostic tool, but as a proactive medical vision, anticipating the disease and gives doctors an opportunity to intervene early, and provide accurately designed treatments or recommendations according to the “immune age” for each person
* Why does this concern us in the Arab world? Because time works against us. According to the World Health Organization, the number of elderly people in Arab countries is expected to double by 2050, to more than 125 million people – equivalent to more than five residents of the region.
In light of the disturbing spread of the diseases of the times such as diabetes (type 2), obesity, and high blood pressure, aging in our area becomes more fragile … and more expensive.
Here the need for a fundamental change in the philosophy of preventive medicine emerges, not only dependent on traditional examinations, but also on tools that are able to see the disease before it is born.
Artificial intelligence, genetics, and immune technology are no longer research luxury, but rather a strategic necessity for the health of Arab societies that Sheikh
Quickly, without being accompanied by sufficient health systems.
Return the youth of the immune system
The return of the youth of the immune system is no longer a dream that is far -fetched, but a global scientific agenda that is formed quickly, and the Arab world cannot remain a spectator.
If we can detect the silent immune deterioration in the elderly or even young people in early stages, we will be in front of a golden opportunity to reduce the complications of aging, improve the quality of life, and reduce the healthy and economic burden.
In other words: saving the future begins now … from the cells of the immune system.
Immunity is no longer just a silent defense line. Rather, it has become a very sensitive biological indicator that reveals to us the internal condition of the body with accuracy that exceeds the traditional measurements. It is a mirror that reflects not only what we eat, but how we live, how much we move, and how much our ability to face tension.
In a modern moment, I asked one of the most powerful medical intelligence algorithms in the world – “Watson Google Medical” – a simple but fateful question: How do we preserve the youth of the immune system and delay its old age?
The answer was to the challenge … a prescription supported by the latest international research: “balanced food, deep sleep for eight hours, reducing chronic anxiety and stress, practicing meditation and yoga exercises, maintaining sufficient levels of vitamin D, zinc, vitamin C, not to overlook regular physical activity, and commitment to a lifestyle that guarantees good physical fitness.” Sports is not a luxury of fitness, but rather a basic pillar of regenerating immune cells and enhancing their efficiency. A study published in Frontiers in Immunology (2024) showed that people who regularly exercise have a greater percentage of active T-cells (T-Cells) that branch from white blood cells, which is one of the basic pillars of long-term immunity.
So, if we want more healthy and dignified aging, we must start from where we do not see: from within the cell … and from the depth of the gene … and from the depth of our daily habits.
Perhaps, in the near future, the “immune life” analysis will become an integral part of our annual tests, along with blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol.
The true age of a person is not measured by the evaluation … but rather the quality of what is going on in his blood and immune system.
