Dr. Zwi Berneman is Emeritus Professor of Hematology at the University of Antwerp, and previously Head of the Division of Hematology at the Antwerp University Hospital. His basic and clinical research is focused on vaccination with immunogenic dendritic cells in cancer and with tolerogenic dendritic cells in multiple sclerosis. He talks about the history and development of dendritic cell vaccines and the work needed to make them more widely available to patients.

Image courtesy of Dr. Zwi Berneman

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In 2025, we attended the 19th International Congress of Immunology, hosted by the International Union of Immunological Societies, in Vienna, Austria, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the conference. Here is the final of five special episodes from the meeting, in which Brenda and Jason discuss sessions on AI applications and CAR T therapy progress.

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In 2025, we attended the 19th International Congress of Immunology, hosted by the International Union of Immunological Societies, in Vienna, Austria, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the conference. Here is the fourth of five special episodes from the meeting, in which Jason and Brenda discuss sessions on cancer immunotherapy and neuroimmunology.

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In 2025, we attended the 19th International Congress of Immunology, hosted by the International Union of Immunological Societies, in Vienna, Austria, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the conference. Here is the third of five special episodes from the meeting. Brenda and Jason discuss sessions on CD4+ T cells in Hepatitis B infections and how amoebas make their way to the brain. They also cover research on the effects of antibiotics on immunotherapy, and what we can learn about allergies by comparing pet shop and lab mice.

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In 2025, we attended the 19th International Congress of Immunology, hosted by the International Union of Immunological Societies, in Vienna, Austria, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the conference. Here is the second of five special episodes from the meeting. Brenda and Jason cover research on Lynch syndrome, dendritic cells, and the epigenome of regulatory T cells.

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In 2025, we attended the 19th International Congress of Immunology, hosted by the International Union of Immunological Societies, in Vienna, Austria, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the conference. Here is the first of five special episodes from the meeting. Brenda and Jason discuss sessions on colon cancer organoids and stable induced regulatory T cells. They also cover presentations from the IUIS Rising Star Awardees and Dr. Yasmine Belkaid’s talk on maternal physiology.

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Dr. Daniel Goodman is an Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where his lab researches high-throughput approaches to engineer the immune system. He talks about new technologies for immune cell engineering, and methods for screening and developing CAR T therapies. (47:30)

Respiratory Infections and Breast Cancer – A study in mice shows that respiratory viruses can cause the proliferation of dormant disseminated cancer cells. (5:00)

Early-Life HIV Antibodies – AAV-vectored delivery of HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibodies led to long-term protection in infant rhesus macaques. (11:55)

Obesity and Immunity – Researchers compared the effects of high-fat diets derived from animal and plant fat sources on tumor growth in obese mice. (22:25)

Lithium Deficiency in Alzheimer’s Disease – Scientists showed that endogenous lithium contributes to cognitive preservation during aging. (32:37)

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Dr. Tamara Tilburgs is an Assistant Professor in the University of Cincinnati Department of Pediatrics, where her research focuses on immune tolerance during pregnancy. She talks about the immune paradox in trophoblast cells and how placental inflammation can lead to pregnancy complications. She also discusses CD8+ T cell responses at the maternal-fetal interface. (43:03)

Non-Antibiotics and Enteropathogens – Non-antibiotic drugs from a wide range of therapeutic classes can alter the ability of gut commensals to resist invasion by enteropathogens. (1:38)

Medications and the Gut Microbiome – An analysis of prescription medications shows that several non-antibiotic drugs, such as the heart medication digoxin, can increase the risk of gastrointestinal infections. (7:20)

Sex Dimorphism in Immune Responses – Fine-tuning of type 2 immune responses may explain why females are more susceptible to allergies. (15:00)

Transposable Elements in Tregs – Researchers identified DNA methylation, chromatin accessibility, and gene expression programs that govern the tissue adaptation of human skin Treg cells. (28:10)

Image courtesy of Dr. Tamara Tilburgs

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Dr. Johnathan Canton is an Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary, where his lab uses advanced microscopy techniques to study dendritic cells, macrophages, and innate immunity. He talks about his career journey from studying tropical parasites to investigating phagocytes. He also discusses using advanced microscopy techniques, studying the mechanisms of dendritic cell cross-presentation, and running a farm in Belize. (35:55)

Armored CAR T Cells – A CRISPR knock-in strategy can engineer CAR T cells that secrete proinflammatory cytokines directly within a tumor without causing toxicity. (2:15)

Immune Invasion in Lung Cancer – Organoid immune co-cultures enable identifying immune evasion at subclonal resolution. (7:55)

Chromatin Remodeling in Chronic Inflammation – Researchers identified a mechanism that separates the chronic and acute inflammation responses. (19:00)

Reversing CD8⁺ T Cell Dysfunction – Scientists identified IL-27 as a tractable immunotherapeutic target in chronic hepatitis B virus infection. (25:40)

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Dr. Mahima Swamy is a Program Leader at the University of Dundee, where her lab studies immune homeostasis in the intestinal epithelium. She talks about intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes and the role of LRRK2 in Parkinson’s and Crohn’s disease.

Fungal Meningitis in Mammals – Researchers examined Cryptococcus neoformans phenotypes and identified factors that drive mammalian virulence.

γδ T cell Receptor Activation – Using cryoelectron microscopy, researchers identified an MHC-independent antigen presentation mechanism distinct from αβ T cells.

Fungal Pulmonary Fibrosis – The Dectin-1-Raf1 axis is a key regulator of pulmonary fibrosis and a promising therapeutic target for fibrotic diseases.

Early-Life Fructose Exposure – High-fructose treatment of mouse and human microglia suppresses phagocytosis capacity.

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