The human thymus during aging

The human thymus is required for establishment of a normal T cell repertoir e in fetal development, as children born without a thymus (DiGeorge Syndrom e) lack thymus-derived (T) and T cell immunity. While the function of the t hymus in children for production of new T cells is clear, it has not been o bvious that the adult thymus can produce significant numbers of new T cells . Until recently, no assays were available to directly evaluate postnatal t hymic function. This paper reviews work on human thymic aging at Duke Unive rsity School oi Medicine and discusses the relevance of this work to devisi ng new strategies for T cell immune reconstitution in man.