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.

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.

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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.

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

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

Image courtesy of [Drs. Charles Sentman and Giulia Escobar]

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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.

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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 fourth of five special episodes from the meeting. Jason and Brenda discuss highlights from talks about immunometabolic dysfunction in disease and neuroimmune interactions in inflammation and allergy.

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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 third of five special episodes from the meeting. Brenda and Jason discuss highlights from sessions on obesity, immunometabolism, microbiome-driven immunity, antigen presentation, and new immunotherapy strategies.

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