The Immunology Podcast

Guests: 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) Featured Products and Resources: Submit a late-breaking abstract for IMMUNOLOGY2026! Wallchart: T Cell Nomenclature: From Subsets to Modules The Immunology Science Round Up 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 Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: 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) Featured Products and Resources: Register now for IMMUNOLOGY2026! Wallchart: T Cell Nomenclature: From Subsets to Modules The Immunology Round Up 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) Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: 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) Featured Products and Resources: Submit your abstract now for IMMUNOLOGY2026! Download a free wallchart on the production of CAR T cells. The Immunology Round Up 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) Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: 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) Featured Products and Resources: Stay up-to-date with the latest in immune regulation news. Download a free wallchart on regulatory T cells. The Immunology Round Up 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) Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: 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) Featured Products and Resources: Stay up-to-date with the latest in infectious disease news. Learn how to isolate highly pure immune cells with a free, on-demand course. The Immunology Round Up 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 Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe