Age of recipient and number of doses differentially impact human B and T cell immune memory responses to HPV vaccination

Vaccination is one of the most effective medical interventions. However, optimization of existing as well as design of new vaccines is still mostly conducted empirically; a rational approach to vaccine design is largely prohibited by the lack of insight into the relevant mechanisms underlying immune-mediated protection. To delineate the impact of variables on immune memory formation following vaccination, we took advantage of a trial assessing the role of the age of the recipient and the number of administered doses of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine in a well-characterized longitudinal cohort of girls and young women. We found that age of the recipient and the number of doses administered differentially impact the development of B and T cell memory. Specifically, age of the recipient significantly impacted generation of HPV 18-specific B cell memory, while the number of vaccine doses displayed a significant effect on the development of HPV-specific T cell memory. Our data indicate that rational design of vaccines has to be tailored according to the desired induction of B and/or T cell memory.

► Measured B and T cell memory of girls and women after 2 or 3 doses of HPV vaccine.
► Both dose and age impacted B cell immune memory response.
► Dose, but not age, impacted T cell memory response; 3 doses led to higher response.