The Brian Lehrer Show The Nobel Prize for Understanding Autoimmune Disease
Oct 7, 2025
Daniel Griffin, an infectious disease physician and researcher, discusses the groundbreaking Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for immunology. He delves into the significance of T cells in immunity, including their role in combating viruses and cancer. Griffin highlights the discovery of regulatory T cells and their potential in treating autoimmune diseases and enhancing cancer therapies. He also addresses the importance of long-term basic research and shares insights on current COVID vaccination recommendations. T cell science could transform future treatments!
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
T Cells Are Central To Viral Immunity
- T cells are crucial for clearing viruses and preventing severe disease.
- Memory T cells complement B cells by providing longer-term cellular immunity.
Sakaguchi's Risky Discovery Of Regulatory T Cells
- Shimon Sakaguchi pursued regulatory T cells despite skepticism and identified CD25-marked cells that suppress autoimmunity.
- Adding those regulatory cells to mice prevented autoimmune disease in experiments.
FOXP3 Is The Master Regulator
- The scurfy mouse led researchers to identify FOXP3 as a key gene for immune regulation.
- FOXP3 functions as a master regulator of regulatory T cell development in mice and humans.