Pre-Vaccination Immunotypes and Immune Entropy Are Indicators of Multiple Vaccine Responsiveness

Abstract

Immune aging is associated with decreased vaccine responses, but biomarkers for vaccine responsiveness remain unidentified. We analyzed immunotypes describing pre-vaccination immune cell profiles and their associations with triple vaccine responsiveness to influenza, pneumococcal, and SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in adults aged 25–78 years. Additionally, we developed an innovative measure, immune entropy, to quantify cumulative perturbations in the immune cell subset network. Specific immunotypes were associated with either weak or robust triple vaccine responsiveness. In addition, immune entropy was inversely related to vaccine responsiveness regardless of age. In a validation cohort of older adults, higher immune entropy was also associated with a lower antibody response to the BNT162b2 vaccine. A separate cohort of kidney transplant recipients, typically exhibiting diminished vaccine responses, demonstrated significantly increased immune entropy compared to healthy counterparts. Our findings suggest immunotypes and immune entropy as potential indicators to identify individuals at risk for suboptimal vaccine responses, potentially guiding personalized vaccination strategies.