The Immunology Podcast

Dr. Rahul Roychoudhuri is a Professor of Cancer Immunology at the University of Cambridge (Department of Pathology) and Director (Non-Clinical) of the CRUK Cambridge Centre Training Programme. His lab studies immunoregulatory mechanisms in inflammation and cancer. He talks about enhancing cell therapy with new payloads and targeting cancer cells during metastasis.

Colonizing the Human Microbiome – Researchers identified a phylogenetically distinct group of microbiome-associated, viroid-like RNAs.

Immune Privilege of the Central Nervous System – Regulatory self-peptides bind to MCH II molecules at the central nervous system border.

Heart Attacks and Sleep – Monocytes are recruited to the brain after myocardial infarction to augment sleep and promote healing.

The Circadian Rhythm in Immune Homeostasis – IL-17-producing γδ T cells rely on the molecular clock to maintain adipose tissue homeostasis.

Image courtesy of Dr. Rahul Roychoudhuri

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Dr. Pascal Meier is a Professor and Group Leader at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, England. His group investigates the complex relationship between cell death, immunity, and tumorigenesis. Particularly, they are focused on the role of cell death and inflammation in adaptation to tissue stress, treatment resistance, and tumour surveillance.

New Potential for Cancer Immunotherapy – Researchers have identified a new type of immune cell called stem-like CD4 T cells that play an important role in anti-tumor immunity.

An Improved Treg Therapy – Human OX40 ligand-specific CAR-Tregs may be a potent cellular therapy to control allo- and autoimmune diseases.

Chronic Inflammation Worsens Heart Failure – Blocking the molecular signals between inflammation-causing immune cells and fibroblasts can prevent fibrosis.

Programmable Bacteria – Scientists have engineered a strain of bacteria to express cytokine IFN-γ within the tumor core.

Image courtesy of  Dr. Pascal Meier

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Dr. Marcelo Hill is the Head of the Laboratory of Immunoregulation and Inflammation at the Institut Pasteur de Montevideo. He is also the Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of ARDAN ImmunoPharma. His research focuses on immune regulation in cancer, and how T cells respond to immunotherapy in melanoma. He talks about improving immunotherapy efficacy by activating the inflammasome, and how he is pushing this research towards the clinic by collaborating with industry and creating a spin-off company.

He is then joined by Drs. Marion Brunck and María Julia Lamberti, who discuss the upcoming meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Association of Immunology, taking place November 4-8 in Buenos Aires. They discuss the challenges and opportunities in the Latin American immunology community, and how this conference aims to promote collaborations and empower early-career researchers.

Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm – Scientists studied tissue microenvironments in models of S. aureus craniotomy and prosthetic joint infections.

T Helper Cell Differentiation – Researchers found that RAMP3 has a cell-intrinsic role in TH1 cell fate determination.

Probiotic Immunotherapy – Researchers used E. coli to deliver neoepitopes that drive T cell-mediated anticancer immunity.

Microglia in Alzheimer’s Pathology – APOE internalization is regulated by cholesterol metabolism in microglia.

Image courtesy of Dr. Marcelo Hill

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Dr. JoAnne Flynn is a Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh and Dr. Stephen Hedrick is Chancellor’s Associates Chair VII Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of California, San Diego. They talk about the American Association of Immunologists’ Immunology Explained campaign, which aims to explain the science of the immune system to the general public. They also discuss their efforts to educate legislators about the value of immunology research and promote childhood vaccination.

Postnatal T Cell Development – Spatial multiomics show sex differences in early postnatal T cell development.

Organ-Specific Tissue Residency – Retinoic acid is a fundamental component of the host-environment interaction that directs immunosurveillance in tissues.

A Pan-Sarbecovirus Antibody – Scientists identified an antibody that competes with ACE2 and neutralizes several SARS-CoV-2 variants.

NK Cells in RSV – An altered NK cell immunophenotype is associated with severe RSV disease in young children.

Images courtesy of Drs. JoAnne Flynn and Stephen Hedrick

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Dr. Theresa Alenghat is a Professor in the Immunobiology Division and the Margaret K. Hostetter Chair at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati. Her lab investigates mechanisms underlying the host-microbiota relationship, and how this regulation affects intestinal immunity and inflammatory bowel disease.  She discusses how butyrate affects tuft cells in the intestine.

Ancient Cheese – Researchers retrieved DNA from ancient kefir cheese to study how human-microbial interactions contribute to the adaptation of domesticated lactobacilli.

Mitochondrial Movement – Mitochondrial transfer augments CD8+ T cell mitochondria mass and metabolic fitness.

CAR T Atlas – Scientists generated a single-cell atlas of pre-infusion CAR T cells and found that elevated type 2 functionality is associated with remission of leukemia.

NAD+ Reconstitution – A unique immune evasion strategy allows viruses to rebuild molecules depleted by the host’s defense system.

Image courtesy of Dr. Theresa Alenghat

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Dr. Roslyn Kemp is a Professor of Immunology at the University of Otago. Her research focuses on T cells as mediators of anti-tumor immunity and inflammation. She discusses using organoids to model inflammatory bowel disease and collecting immune cell signatures in cancer. She also talks about writing a book to demystify science research and careers.

Extending Responses after HIV Treatment – IL-10 and PD-1 blockade controlled viral rebound of SIV in rhesus macaques during analytical treatment interruption.

Autoreactive T Cells in Lupus – Neoself-antigen presentation by MHC-II plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Bison Bile Salt Hydrolase – Researchers determined the molecular structure of a bile salt hydrolase from the bison microbiome.

How Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy Affects Immunity – Testosterone in trans men alters a cross-regulation axis involving IFN-I and TNF.

Image courtesy of Dr. Roslyn Kemp

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Dr. Wayne Juang is a Field Application Scientist, Immunology at STEMCELL Technologies. In his current role, he works with researchers to help optimize and troubleshoot their experiments. He discusses his path to industry and his motivation to pursue an MBA.

TNF Mutations and Tuberculosis – Two relatives who lack working copies of the TNF gene experienced recurrent bouts of tuberculosis, but are unaffected by other pathogens.

Fibrin and Clotting in COVID-19 – Fibrin drives inflammation and neuropathology in SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Salt in Tumors – Sodium chloride in enhances the activation state and effector functions of human CD8+ T cells.

Fatal Respiratory Infections – Researchers identified oleoyl-ACP hydrolase as an early driver of several severe respiratory diseases.

Image courtesy of STEMCELL Technologies

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Dr. Kipp Weiskopf is a Valhalla Fellow at the Whitehead Institute. His research focuses on unlocking the therapeutic potential of macrophages for the benefit of cancer patients. He talks about the role of macrophages in the tumor environment and how targeting the CD47/SIRPα axis can induce phagocytosis of cancer cells. He also discusses starting spin-off companies to advance cancer therapies.

Organoids with an Immune Compartment – Researchers generated human intestinal immuno-organoids to investigate intestinal inflammation triggered by cancer-targeting biologics in patients.

Gene Repression in Tregs – The transcription factor Ikaros binds to Foxp3 to inhibit the expression of target genes in Tregs.

γδ T-Cell Antigen Receptor Structure – Scientists used cryo-electron microscopy to determine the structure of of the T-cell receptor found on the surface of γδ T cells.

Autoimmune Organ Damage – Tissue-resident NKp46+ innate lymphoid cells are crucial signal amplifiers of disease-associated macrophage expansion and epithelial cell injury in lupus nephritis.

Image courtesy of Dr. Kipp Weiskopf

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Dr. Adrian Erlebacher is a Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. His lab studies how the developmental properties of a tissue influence its ability to mount a successful immune response. He talks about immune tolerance in pregnancy and how the maternal–fetal interface affects pregnancy outcomes.

Immune Cells in the Skull – The glioblastoma-linked immune-cell niche in the human skull provides an unanticipated resource and concept of acute tumor reactivity in the proximal bone marrow.

Nasal Vaccine Reactions – Nasal vaccination induces B cell expansion in the subepithelial dome of nasal-associated lymphoid tissues.

Airway Microbiota Across the Lifespan – Lifestyle factors are related to oral microbiota and environment is related to nasopharyngeal microbiota.

Tregs in the Gut – Researchers used a chemogenetic screen to reveal functional neuroimmune interactions in the gut.

Image courtesy of Dr. Adrian Erlebacher

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Dr. Jeffrey Rathmell is the Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Immunobiology at the Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology. His research focuses on T cell metabolism in cancer. He talks about what T cells use for fuel and his work on fatty acid synthesis. He also discusses the ‘obesity paradox’ in cancer immunotherapy and his favorite parts of being a scientist and professor.

A Humanized Mouse Model – A new humanized mouse mounts specific and mature antibody and autoantibody responses.

IL-11 Signaling in Aging – Inhibiting IL-11 extends the healthspan and lifespan of mice.

Sphinganine Synthesis in Macrophages – Sphinganine biosynthesis is a checkpoint for macrophage pattern recognition in mouse models of sepsis and melanoma.

Brain-Muscle Signaling – Researchers identified a brain-to-muscle signaling axis in Drosophila that regulates muscle performance.

Image courtesy of Dr. Jeffrey Rathmell

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