"Boosting" tumor immunity in elderly mice by hyperactivating dendritic cells

Immunosenescence poses a significant challenge to tumor immunotherapy in elderly individuals. In this issue of Cell, Zhivaki et al. elucidate that dendritic cells "hyperactivated" by specific adjuvants elicit TH1-skewed CD4⁺ T cell responses in a manner contingent on the NLRP3 inflammasome, which can eliminate tumors in aged mice.