Call for papers - Immunosenescence

Guest Editors

Feng Hefeng, PhD, ADR, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Luxembourg
Huimin Zhang, PhD, University of California Riverside, USA

Submission Status: Open | Submission Deadline: 5 September 2025

BMC Biology is calling for submissions to our Collection on Immunosenescence. With aging, the immune system undergoes significant changes, including various molecular, cellular and functional modifications in both innate and adaptive immunity. These changes often result in increased susceptibility to infections, reduced efficacy of vaccinations, chronic inflammation and many other aging-related diseases.

This Collection aims to foster a deeper and better understanding of the complex interplay between aging and immune function under healthy and disease conditions across various species, offering insights into potential strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of immunosenescence and improve healthspan.

New Content Item This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Health and Well-Being.

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Meet the Guest Editors

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Feng Hefeng, PhD, ADR, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Luxembourg

Dr Feng Hefeng is currently a senior researcher focusing on immune ageing and its implementations in relevant diseases by applying experimental systems immunology strategies in the Department of Infection and Immunity (DII) at the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH). From March 2015 to March 2020, Feng led an independent junior research group in the DII at the LIH. Feng accomplished his PhD (cumulative thesis) in experimental systems biology at the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research. Being the principal investigator, Feng has been awarded several competitive grants through different external funding sources, e.g., from Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) CORE and BRIDGES programs. Website.

Huimin Zhang, PhD, University of California Riverside, USA

Huimin Zhang, Assistant Professor of Immunology in the Department of Molecular Cell and Systems Biology, earned her PhD in Biochemistry from UCLA. She completed postdoctoral fellowships at The Scripps Research Institute and Stanford University, revealing how aging shapes the epigenetic landscape of human T cells. Zhang’s group at UC Riverside seeks to understand how immune homeostasis is maintained and the impact of aging on the immune system. They employ biochemical and molecular assays, single cell multi-omics and systems biology approaches to study the fundamental principles governing the communication between the key players of the immune system, and how the immune system adapts to various environment challenges such as aging. Website.

About the Collection

BMC Biology invites submissions to our Collection on Immunosenescence. With aging, the immune system undergoes significant changes, including various molecular, cellular and functional modifications in both innate and adaptive immunity. These changes often result in increased susceptibility to infections, reduced efficacy of vaccinations, chronic inflammation and many other aging-related diseases. This Collection aims to foster a deeper and better understanding of the complex interplay between aging and immune function under healthy and disease conditions across various species, offering insights into potential strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of immunosenescence and improve healthspan.

This Collection invites submissions identifying cellular and molecular mechanisms contributing to the changes in immune function with aging, the impact of chronic inflammation in aging, and comparative studies of immunosenescence across different species. We also welcome studies exploring the roles of immunosenescence in age-related diseases and investigation of novel targets and therapies for age-related immune dysfunction, including the development of senolytics.

Potential topics for submission include, but are not limited to:

Impact of aging on immunity in any species
Identification of hallmarks of immunosenescence
Molecular and cellular mechanisms of immunosenescence
Comparative studies of immunosenescence across different species to identify common and species-specific mechanisms
Immune involvement in heterogeneous aging across various organ systems
Role of immunosenescence in age-related diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders
Investigating novel targets and therapies for age-related immune dysfunction, including the development of senolytics

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Health and Well-Being.

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.

There are currently no articles in this collection.

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research and Methodology Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Immunosenescence" from the dropdown menu.

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.