Advertise on podcast: The Immunology Podcast

Guest: Dr. Merav Cohen is a Principal Investigator at Tel Aviv University. She discusses how her lab uses single-cell technologies to decode communication between immune cells and their surrounding tissues. She explores how physical interactions can reprogram macrophages and neutrophils, how these cells communicate with tumor cells, and how cellular crosstalk can promote angiogenesis, tumor growth, and cancer progression. Featured Products and Resources: Stay up-to-date with the latest reesarch and news in human immunology news. Download a free wallchart on the overview of human NK cell receptors. The Immunology Science Round Up Mapping T Cells in Diabetes – Multimodal profiling reveals distinct inflammatory and differentiation states of CD8+ T cells across pancreatic lymph nodes and pancreatic tissue in Type 1 diabetes. Balancing the Inflammatory Response – IRF2 restrains inflammation by limiting IRF1-driven immune gene expression, revealing a transcriptional switch that regulates innate immune responses. Interferon Reshapes Stem Cell Fate – Interferon-α reshapes hematopoietic stem cell differentiation in myeloproliferative neoplasms, while disease-causing mutations alter how stem cells respond to treatment. The Gut–Brain Immune Connection – Gut infections send activated CD4+ T cells to the brain’s borders, where they establish long-lived immune memory against intestinal microbes. Image courtesy of Dr. Merav Cohen Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Roger Geiger is a Group Leader at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Bellinzona, Switzerland, and leads a research group at the Technical University of Dresden in Germany. He discusses how his lab studies the metabolic regulation of T cell function and explores engineering bacteria to deliver therapeutic payloads directly to tumors. He also explains how arginine metabolism can enhance anti-tumor T cell responses and how naïve T cells remain metabolically prepared to rapidly respond to immune challenges. Featured Products and Resources: Stay up-to-date with the latest in cell therapy news. Download a free wallchart on the production of CAR T cells. The Immunology Science Round Up C. difficile Shapes Gut Development– Early-life C. difficile exposure alters intestinal stem cell behavior and leaves lasting changes in gut development. The Serotonin–Asthma Connection– ILC2-derived serotonin amplifies airway inflammation and activates sensory neurons to promote asthma and cough hypersensitivity. IgA Fuels Liver Inflammation – IgA binding to liver myeloid cells is associated with IL-1-linked inflammation and liver injury in alcohol-associated liver disease. Serotonin Drives Severe COVID-19 – Platelet-derived serotonin promotes blood clotting and lung dysfunction during SARS-CoV-2 infection, helping explain greater disease severity with age. Image courtesy of Dr. Roger Geiger Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Martin Prlic is a Professor in the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division at Fred Hutch Cancer Center. He discusses the challenges of studying human immunology and how his lab uses advanced single-cell technologies to understand T cell responses across healthy, inflamed, and tumor tissues. He also explores the biology of tissue-resident T cells, how inflammation shapes their function, and immune cell interactions at the maternal-fetal interface. Featured Products and Resources: Decorate your lab with a Nature Protocols wallchart outlining the production of therapeutic CAR T cells. Find high-quality antibodies and integrate them into your workflow! The Immunology Science Round Up lncRNA Regulates Gut Immunity – An IBD-associated long noncoding RNA promotes immune tolerance by enhancing regulatory T cell function and limiting inflammatory T cell responses. Trust in Research Antibodies – An investigation identified nearly 19,000 apparently manipulated antibody validation images across products sold by 15 research antibody vendors. Targeting Melanoma with mRNA – A Phase III trial found that a personalized mRNA neoantigen therapy combined with KEYTRUDA improved recurrence-free and distant metastasis-free survival compared with KEYTRUDA alone after melanoma surgery. Beyond Shingles Prevention – A recombinant shingles vaccine was associated with a lower long-term risk of several cardiovascular outcomes, supporting further studies of its potential cardioprotective effects. Engineering Myeloid Immunotherapy – Expandable granulocyte-monocyte progenitors provide a scalable platform for engineering macrophages that can target blood and solid tumors. CAR T Cells Meet Glioblastoma – Responses to CAR T cell therapy for glioblastoma are associated with the surrounding immune environment, with NK cells linked to response and regulatory T cells and suppressive myeloid cells linked to resistance. Image courtesy of Dr. Martin Prlic Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Miriam Merad is Director of the Precision Immunology Institute and a Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She discusses how myeloid progenitors and macrophages shape the tumor microenvironment, and how dendritic cells support tertiary lymphoid structures and anti-tumor immunity. She also explores the role of chronic inflammation in aging and disease, and shares her perspective on the importance of biomedical research in protecting human health. Featured Products and Resources: Get a free wallchart of the frequencies of human cell types in blood-related sources. Subscribe to Human Immunology News to keep up with the latest news, research, policy, and jobs in the community. The Immunology Science Round Up Viral Reactivation in COVID-19 – Chronic viruses frequently reactivate during severe COVID-19, with distinct patterns associated with inflammation, disease severity, recovery, and long COVID. Safer Antibodies During Pregnancy – Fusing therapeutic antibodies to albumin reduces their transfer across the placenta while preserving prolonged circulation, offering a strategy to limit fetal drug exposure during pregnancy. Self-Sustaining Regulatory T Cells – Engineering regulatory T cells with a self-sustaining IL-2 signaling system improves their persistence and ability to prevent autoimmune diabetes in mice. Where Tuberculosis Persists – Mycobacterium tuberculosis persists in lymph nodes by forming infected monocyte-derived niches that evade recognition by Mtb-specific T cells despite activating antimicrobial responses. Image courtesy of Dr. Miriam Merad. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Pere Santamaria is a Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary and Group Leader at the Barcelona Institute. He discusses how his lab studies the mechanisms underlying autoimmune diseases, with a focus on regulatory T cell biology and antigen-specific immune tolerance. He also explains how his team developed a nanomedicine platform that reprograms autoreactive T cells into regulatory cells, offering a targeted approach to treating autoimmune disorders without suppressing normal immune function, and shares the challenges of translating this technology from the lab to the clinic. Featured Products and Resources: Find the right antibodies for your research and start integrating them into your workflow. Get a free copy of a Nature Protocols wallchart outlining the production of therapeutic CAR T cells. The Immunology Science Round Up Maternal Vaccine Against GBS – A Phase I/II trial shows that a maternal hexavalent Group B Streptococcus vaccine is safe and elicits robust antibody responses in both mothers and infants. Decoding Treg Differentiation – TCR specificity and antigen presentation context determine regulatory T cell differentiation and phenotype, providing a framework for antigen-specific immune tolerance. A Microbiota–Autoimmunity Axis – Disrupted dendritic cell development promotes gut dysbiosis that drives inflammatory dendritic cell expansion and systemic autoimmunity. Programming Regulatory T Cells – Arginine availability regulates MHC class I antigen presentation, influencing antiviral immunity and cancer development. Image courtesy of Dr. Pere Santamaria. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Brian Brown is a Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He discusses how his lab develops innovative technologies to study the immune system and advance new therapeutics, from T cell engineering to mRNA-based medicines. He also explores how microRNA-guided targeting can improve the precision of mRNA therapeutics, how different tissues shape immune responses, and the importance of effective science communication. Featured Products and Resources: Learn more about STEMCELL’s optimized protocols and reagents for immunotherapy research. Download this free conference toolkit to make the most out of your experience this conference season. The Immunology Science Round Up Sindbis in Cerebrospinal Fluid – Scientists have found evidence that Sindbis virus can invade the human central nervous system and cause neurological disease. A Skin–Lung Reflex – Activation of sensory neurons in the skin suppresses allergic airway inflammation through a vagus nerve–mediated neuroimmune reflex. Microbiome Enhances Cancer Immunity – Gut bacteria promote anti-tumor immunity by converting tryptophan into indoles that enhance immune responses and inhibit melanoma growth. Macrophages Drive Healthy Aging – Restoring macrophage clearance of senescent neutrophils reverses age-related decline across multiple organs in mice by blocking EP2 signaling. Image courtesy of Dr. Brian Brown Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Andrew Hogan is a Professor and Principal Investigator of the Obesity Immunology Research Group at Maynooth University. He discusses how obesity drives chronic inflammation and immune dysfunction, increasing the risk of diseases such as diabetes and cancer, while highlighting the immune system’s role in disease progression. He also explains how GLP-1 therapies improve both metabolism and immune function, offering new insights into obesity treatment. Featured Products and Resources: Request your free EasySep sample and share your experience for a chance to win prizes worth up to $3,000! Win 350 US dollars or equivalent toward refreshments to fuel your journal club discussions. The Immunology Science Round Up Innate Immunity Predicts Symptoms – Stronger innate immune responses predisposed people to influenza symptoms while also promoting antiviral immune activation. Broad HIV Neutralization #1 – A novel HIV immunogen induced broadly neutralizing antibodies in macaques, providing a promising blueprint for HIV vaccine development. Broad HIV Neutralization #2 – A germline-targeting vaccine induced broadly neutralizing HIV antibodies in nonhuman primates. CAR-T Targets Glioblastoma – A dual-targeting CAR-T therapy achieved durable glioblastoma control in preclinical models. Image courtesy of Dr. Andrew Hogan Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Marco Orecchioni is an Assistant Professor at Augusta University. He discusses how olfactory receptors — best known for detecting smells — also function in innate immune cells such as macrophages, where they help sense chemical cues in the tissue environment. He highlights how these receptors regulate inflammation, metabolism, and immune cell behavior in diseases such as atherosclerosis, and explores their potential as novel therapeutic targets. Featured Products and Resources: Learn more about STEMCELL’s optimized protocols and reagents for immunotherapy research. Download this free conference toolkit to make the most out of your experience this conference season. The Immunology Science Round Up Origins of Tumor Macrophages – Tumor-associated myeloid cells arise from distinct circulating monocyte clones with pre-programmed differentiation fates. DDX6 Restrains Tumor Immunity – DDX6 suppresses dsRNA-driven innate immunity by limiting RNA editing. Antibody-Directed Xenophagy – TRIM21 directs antibody-bound pathogens into a newly identified autophagy pathway that promotes intracellular pathogen clearance. RNA Warfare in Plant Immunity – A fungal long non-coding RNA suppresses rice immunity by sequestering a host microRNA. Image courtesy of Dr. Marco Orecchioni. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Shabaana Khader is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Microbiology at the University of Chicago. She discusses how the immune system responds to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, why tuberculosis remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, and the challenges of developing more effective vaccines. She highlights the role of lung-resident immunity, including Th17 responses and lymphoid structures, in controlling infection, and explains how advances in our understanding of host–pathogen interactions are guiding the design of next-generation TB vaccines. Featured Products and Resources: Learn about STEMCELL’s optimized protocols and reagents for immunotherapy research. Download a free Nature Reviews Immunology T cell nomenclature wallpaper. The Immunology Science Round Up Personalized HPV Cancer Vaccine – A multifunctional nanovaccine combining HPV antigens, tumor membranes, and bacterial adjuvants generates durable anti-tumor immunity against HPV-associated cervical cancer. HIV Rewires T Cell Identity – HIV can reprogram infected CD4+ T cells into CD8+ T cells, revealing a previously unrecognized component of the viral reservoir. Decoding Acute Pancreatitis – A single-cell atlas of severe acute pancreatitis identifies a TNF-α–driven immune-endothelial circuit that causes microvascular failure and disease progression. Discovery of Ruptoblasts – A newly discovered cell type, the ruptoblast, protects planarians through an explosive cytotoxic mechanism termed ruptosis. Image courtesy of Dr. Shabaana Khader Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Samuel Nobs is an Assistant Professor and Group Leader at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Switzerland. He discusses how microbes in the lungs and gut may shape respiratory immunity and influence susceptibility to infections and chronic lung diseases. He highlights his lab’s work to uncover the mechanisms behind these interactions using microbiome analysis and advanced experimental models. Featured Products and Resources: Download a practical guide on everything you need to know about cell isolation techniques. Download a free wallchart on the production of CAR T cells. The Immunology Science Round Up Rabbit Immunity Evolves – Wild rabbits rapidly evolved resistance to myxoma virus through changes in highly diverse MHC immune genes. Antifungal Receptors Improve Vaccines – Targeting antifungal immune receptors with a mannan-based adjuvant boosts the strength, durability, and variant coverage of mRNA vaccine responses. Mapping Tumor Macrophage Diversity – Scientists have revealed how diverse tumor-associated macrophage subtypes promote tumor growth, immune suppression, and metastasis through interactions within the tumor microenvironment. Dietary Soy Shapes Immunity – Dietary soy shapes the gut microbiome to boost IgA-mediated immunity and enhance protection against intestinal infection in early life. Image courtesy of Dr. Samuel Nobs. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Tullia Bruno is an Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. She discusses how B cells and tertiary lymphoid structures shape anti-tumor immunity within solid tumors, challenging the traditional T cell–centric view of cancer immunology. She highlights how these immune niches influence responses to immunotherapy, the importance of spatial organization within the tumor microenvironment, and emerging strategies to therapeutically induce tertiary lymphoid structures to improve cancer treatment. Featured Products and Resources: Subscribe for a chance to win a pair of STEMCELL science socks. Request a free EasySep EV isolation kit sample to try in your own lab. The Immunology Science Round Up Feeding Boosts T Cell Immunity – Postprandial metabolism enhances T cell fitness and improves effector and CAR-T cell function through chylomicron-driven metabolic reprogramming. Chemokines Control T Cell Priming – CCR7 signaling limits CD8+ T cell interactions with dendritic cells to preserve effective effector and memory responses. Helminths Boost Offspring Immunity – Maternal helminth-driven microbiome changes protect offspring from respiratory viruses through the metabolite indole-3-propionic acid. Enhancing CAR T Persistence – CAR-modified stem-cell memory T cells show improved persistence, expansion, and anti-tumor responses compared to standard CAR T cells. Image courtesy of Dr. Tullia Bruno. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Alfred Singer is a Senior Investigator at the National Cancer Institute Center for Cancer Research. He discusses his pioneering work on thymus development and T cell differentiation, including how T cells are selected to become CD4 helper or CD8 cytotoxic cells through MHC-restricted signaling. He shares the evolution of key concepts in the field, such as the “kinetic signaling” model of lineage commitment, and offers insights into T cell receptor signaling, regulatory T cell development, and the complexities of immune cell fate decisions. Featured Products and Resources: Receive a free 250 mL bottle of Lymphoprep plus a free SepMate tube to try in your own lab. Achieve simple, reliable EV isolation with EasySep kits from STEMCELL Technologies. The Immunology Science Round Up CEACAM6 Enables Viral Entry – Bat alphacoronavirus enters human cells via CEACAM6, revealing potential for zoonotic transmission. Cross-Dressing Drives T Cell Priming – mRNA vaccines activate CD8+ T cells through redundant dendritic cell pathways and cross-dressing mechanisms. Unlocking NK Antitumor Responses – Removing tumor Tregs unleashes NK cell responses to control cancers, including MHC I–deficient tumors. RUNX1 Controls Immune Aging – A single-cell immune aging clock identifies RUNX1 as a key regulator of T cell senescence and rejuvenation. Image courtesy of Dr. Alfred Singer Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

In April 2026, we attended IMMUNOLOGY2026, the annual meeting of the American Association of Immunologists, in Boston. We spoke with delegates about their research and impressions of the meeting, including why they attended, the most memorable science they encountered, and their experiences in Boston. Featured Products and Resources: Stay up-to-date with the latest in cell therapy news. Access a collection of checklists and guides to ensure you’re prepared for your next conference. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: This special episode was recorded in front of a live audience at IMMUNOLOGY2026 in Boston. Brenda and Jason sit down with Dr. Charles Sentman, Director of the Center for Synthetic Immunity at Dartmouth College, and Dr. Giulia Escobar, Director of Pre-Clinical Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, to explore new strategies aimed at overcoming the unique challenges of treating solid tumors. They focus on real-world challenges in CAR T and NK cell therapies, including barriers to treating solid tumors, manufacturing and accessibility hurdles, and emerging applications beyond oncology, such as autoimmunity and neurodegenerative disease. Featured Products and Resources: Stay up-to-date with the latest in human immunology news. Download a free wallchart on the production of CAR T cells. Image courtesy of [Drs. Charles Sentman and Giulia Escobar] Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: In April 2026, we attended IMMUNOLOGY2026, the annual meeting of the American Association of Immunologists in Boston, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the previous 24 hours. Here is the last of five special episodes from the meeting. Jason and Brenda discuss highlights from sessions on advances in translational immunology, including immune-targeting strategies for autoimmune disease, as well as new insights into emerging technologies to map T cell receptor specificity. Featured Products and Resources: Make the most of your experience by downloading STEMCELL’s collection of tools to help you prepare for your next conference. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe