Dr. Daniel Peeper is a Professor in Functional Oncogenomics at VU University Amsterdam, heading the Department of Molecular Oncology & Immunology and chairing the Research Faculty Council Board at the Netherlands Cancer Institute. His lab employs function-based, genome-wide screens and other advanced technologies to develop concepts for rational combinatorial cancer treatment, targeting both cancer and immune cells more effectively.

Genomic Insights into EBV – Researchers used genome sequencing data to identify genetic and lifestyle factors linked to control of persistent Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection and its association with autoimmune diseases.

Cholinergic Control of B Cells – Acetylcholine signaling in germinal center B cells helps regulate their selection and differentiation to shape high-affinity antibody responses.

Targeting Persistent HIV Clones – Persistent HIV reservoir T cell clones resist immune clearance but remain vulnerable to sustained cytotoxic T cell pressure.

T Cell Engagers in Autoimmunity – CD19×CD3 and BCMA×CD3 T cell engagers improved disease outcomes in patients with treatment-refractory antisynthetase syndrome and systemic sclerosis.

Image courtesy of Daniel Peeper

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Dr. Ido Amit is a Principal Investigator and the Eden and Steven Romick Professorial Chair at the Weizmann Institute of Science. His lab is at the forefront of developing and applying cutting-edge single-cell genomics technologies alongside advanced computational approaches. By integrating these innovative tools in both animal models and human studies, his team uncovers the immune regulatory mechanisms and pathways that shape health and disease.

Modified RNA Prevents Autoimmunity – Researchers show that modified RNA from our own cells naturally blocks TLR7 and TLR8, preventing harmful immune activation.

Oncolytic Virus Boosts T Cells – In glioblastoma patients, a single virus treatment helped the immune system attack the tumor.

Rewiring the Immune System During Food Scarcity – When food is scarce, stress hormones rebalance the immune system to fight infection while conserving glucose and preserving immune memory.

Regulating Bystander T Cells – IL-4 can dial down how strongly memory CD8+ T cells respond to infection without direct antigen stimulation.

Image courtesy of Dr. Ido Amit

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Dr. Sharon Lewin is the Director of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, where her team studies HIV. She talks about the current landscape in HIV research and treatments, and how new therapies could target latent viral reservoirs.

Immunosurveillance in the Skin: A neuro-epithelial axis can tune regional immunosurveillance against melanoma.

B Cells in Aging: B cells contributed to the age-related reduction of naive CD4 T cells.

The Gut–Brain Axis in Parkinson’s: Muscularis macrophages, housekeepers of intestinal homeostasis, modulate α-synuclein pathology and neurodegeneration in models of Parkinson’s disease.

How IL-2 Signaling Regulates Inflammation: IL-2 signaling promotes the generation of IL-10pos age-associated B cells, with implications for autoimmunity and inflammation.

Image courtesy of Dr. Sharon Lewin

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Dr. Rafi Ahmed is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Director of the Emory Vaccine Center at Emory University. He talks about his early work on memory T cells and its applications in autoimmune diseases and cancer.

CAR T Therapy for Hemolytic Anemia: CD19 CAR T cells resulted in sustained remission in patients with multirefractory autoimmune hemolytic anemia. (3:05)

How Epstein-Barr Virus and Genetics Drive Multiple Sclerosis: A new study provides a new mechanistic link for how the environmental and genetic risk factors may contribute jointly to multiple sclerosis. (8:30)

Autoantigens in Multiple Sclerosis: EBNA1 CD4+ T cells can target the multiple sclerosis autoantigen anoctamin-2, establishing a link between Epstein-Barr infection and neuroinflammation. (18:45)

Microbiota-Induced T Cell Plasticity: Molecular mimicry between a gut commensal and a tumor antigen can boost the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade therapy and restrain tumor growth. (26:00)

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Dr. Ulrich von Andrian is the Mallinckrodt Professor of Immunopathology at Harvard Medical School and President of the American Association of Immunologists (AAI). Dr. Shekhar Pasare is Professor and Director of the Division of Immunobiology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He is also the Program Committee Chair for the AAI’s annual meetings. They discuss the upcoming IMMUNOLOGY2026 meeting taking place April 15-19 in Boston. They cover highlights of the program including the Presidential Symposium, special sessions, and opportunities for trainees. (42:30)

Psoriatic Arthritis –  A two-step process involving skin-derived myeloid precursors and joint-resident fibroblasts orchestrates the spread of inflammation from the skin to the joints. (6:15)

Chemotherapy and Cardiac-Resident Macrophages – DNA-damaging chemotherapy can reshape cardiac macrophage ontogeny. (13:50)

Dendritic Cell Cross-Presentation – Neoantigen cross-presentation by Type 1 conventional dendritic cells can determine the immune visibility of the tumor mutational landscape. (26:00)

T Cell Cross-Reactivity – Co-receptor switching generates super selective T cells that reduce the risk of lethal off-target cross-reactivity. (32:20)

Images courtesy of Drs. Ulrich von Andrian and Shekhar Pasare

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Dr. Jayne Danska is a Senior Scientist, Genetics and Genome Biology at the Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute. She is also Associate Chief of Research, Faculty Development and Diversity, and Professor at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on the microbiome in type 1 diabetes. She discusses insights from longitudinal human studies and mouse models. (40:00)

Vaccination for Anaphylaxis –  A vaccine against IgE protected against anaphylaxis in a mouse model. (2:53)

How RSV Can Lead to Asthma – Researchers identified maternal allergy and neonatal RSV infection as converging Fc receptor-dependent risk factors for asthma. (9:50)

Antigen Presentation for MAIT Cell Immunity – Macrophages are key for MR1 antigen presentation and MAIT cell immunity. (20:30)

HIV Remission after Stem Cell Transplantation – After an allogeneic stem cell transplant, a patient discontinued antiretroviral therapy and sustained HIV remission for over six years. (27:00)

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Dr. Ana Anderson is currently the Albert H. Coons Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, Senior Scientist at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Institute Member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Core Faculty Member of the Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation. She talks about her research on immune regulation in cancer and enhancing anti-tumor immunity. (38:33)

CAR Tregs for Atherosclerosis: Anti-oxidized low-density lipoprotein CAR Tregs reduce atherosclerotic plaque formation in mouse models. (2:20)

Tumor-Reactive T Cells: Tumor-reactive CD8+ T cells can be isolated and expanded from clinical samples. (14:24)

Harnessing Myeloid and Lymphoid Synergy for Immunotherapy: Myeloid-targeted immunocytokines and natural killer/T cell enhancers show potential for treating solid cancers. (18:50)

Subcutaneous Fat Affects Intestinal Aging: Subcutaneous white adipose tissue dysfunction triggers aging-like intestinal dysfunctions in mouse models. (32:40)

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Dr. George Robinson is a Principal Research Fellow at University College London, where his lab focuses on juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus. He discusses current approaches to diagnosis and treatment, as well as the role of sex differences in autoimmunity. (31:20)

Long-Term Allergies: Allergy-associated IgE plasma cells exhibit limited accrual in the bone marrow, and instead reside in other tissues for extended periods. (3:40)

Oral Immunotherapy for Peanut Allergy: Peanut oral immunotherapy reshapes T cell responses, suppressing allergy-associated type 2 helper T cells and boosting cytotoxic type 1 helper T cells, offering clues to long-term tolerance. (9:00)

Neuroprotective Microglia in Alzheimer’s Disease: The protective function of microglia is governed by the transcription factor PU.1, which becomes downregulated following microglial contact with amyloid plaques. (18:09)

Autoimmunity in ALS: Researchers showed that ALS is associated with recognition of the C9orf72 antigen and mapped the specific epitopes that are recognized. (23:20)

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Dr. Camila Coelho is a Principal Investigator at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where her lab studies emerging pathogens. She talks about her lab’s work on mpox and other viruses, her approach to mentorship, and how her MBA education helps her in science. (36:00)

Epigenetic Programming of T Cells – Researchers developed an all-RNA platform for efficient, durable and multiplexed epigenetic programming in primary human T cells. (3:57)

Converting Conventional T Cells to Tregs – Using a combination of cytokines and pharmacological approaches, conventional effector T cells can be converted into functional and stable Tregs. (9:40)

A Host–Pathogen Arms Race – E. coli uses the effector NleL to suppress epithelial extrusion, which aids in bacterial spread. (23:06)

Lactation and Lowered Breast Cancer Risk – Parity induces an accumulation of CD8+ T cells in breast tissue, which reduced tumor growth and increased immune cell infiltration in a mouse model. (28:13)

Image courtesy of Dr. Camila Coelho

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Professor Matteo Iannacone is Director of the Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, Professor of Pathology, and Head of the Dynamics of Immune Responses laboratory at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University. His work centers on understanding the generation of dysfunctional adaptive immune cells in chronic hepatitis B virus infection and developing new strategies to reprogram them into functional cells endowed with potent antiviral activity.

The Cells That Keep Immunity in Check – Brenda reviews Dr. Shimon Sakaguchi’s seminal study demonstrating that a population of T cells expressing the IL-2 receptor α chain acts to maintain self-tolerance by suppressing other T cells.

The Gene That Controls Immune Balance – Brenda reviews Dr. Mary Brunkow and Dr. Fred Ramsdell’s work identifying FOXP3 as the gene disrupted in a fatal lymphoproliferation syndrome in the “scurfy” mouse, pointing to FOXP3 as a master regulator of regulatory T cells.

Zap70 and the Treg Cell Repertoire – Age-dependent Zap70 expression regulates negative selection and thymic Treg cell development.

T Cell Exhaustion Driven by Protein Stress – Researchers show that proteotoxic stress, induced by protein aggregation, is not merely a consequence, but a driver of the exhausted T cell state.

Image courtesy of Professor Matteo Iannacone.

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