Immune

Cindy sits down with Bali Pulendran at the AAI 2025 meeting where he told the story of how a childhood fascination with the cosmos grew into a career addressing fundamental questions about the human immune response, and how when an antigen enters the body it is like the big bang in how it initiates immune responses. Host: Cindy Leifer Guest: Bali Pulendran Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Systems vaccinology determines antibody responses and durability (Nature 2025) World’s largest immunology experiment (Sem Immunol 2024) Systems Vaccinology Review (Immunity 2010) Time stamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Music by Tatami. Logo image by Blausen Medical Send your immunology questions and comments to immune@microbe.tv Information on this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

Elizabeth Marnik, also known as Science Whiz Liz, grew up unvaccinated, yet she is now an immunologist, science communicator, and advocate for vaccines–this is her story.    Host: Cindy Leifer Guest: Elizabeth Marnick Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server More about Liz on her webpage ScienceWhizLiz on Instagram From the Science Classroom with Science Whiz Liz on Substack Time stamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Music by Tatami. Logo image by Blausen Medical Send your immunology questions and comments to immune@microbe.tv Information on this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

Immune discusses the potential future of delivering vaccines by flossing your teeth and how antibodies in human milk shape the normal immune responses in newborns.  Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Cindy Leifer, Steph Langel, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Floss-based vaccination (Nat Biomed Engineering 2025) Press article on Floss-based vaccine paper (Sci News) Human milk IgA promotes immune development (PNAS 2025) Time stamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Music by Tatami. Immune logo image by Blausen Medical Send your immunology questions and comments to immune@microbe.tv Information on this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

Cindy speaks with Aimee Pugh Bernard from University of Colorado about her career and her passion for teaching and communicating immunology to the public.    Host: Cindy Leifer Guest: Aimee Pugh Bernard Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server More about Aimee on her webpage Funsizeimmuninja on Instagram Fun Size Science video partnership with Unbiased Science Funsizeimmuninja Substack Society for Leukocyte Biology Time stamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Music by Tatami. Logo image by Blausen Medical Send your immunology questions and comments to immune@microbe.tv Information on this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.  

Cancer cells are hijacking mitochondria from nerve and T cells, boosting their growth while weakening immune responses. The podcast dives into how this mitochondrial manipulation informs cancer treatment strategies, revealing a complex dance between immune evasion and T cell dynamics. Additionally, there's exploration of mitochondrial transfer's evolutionary roots, plus insights into the effectiveness of checkpoint inhibitors in managing cancer and autoimmune conditions. Listeners will find both scientific advancement and community engagement at the heart of this discussion.

Cindy talks with Shane Crotty about his teenage days driving 3 ½ hours every weekend to have his first research experience in marine biology, how that eventually led to studying how vaccines work and how we can make them better, and how immunology research and publishing got a turbo-boost during the pandemic. Hosts: Cindy Leifer Guest: Shane Crotty Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Immune 85 discusses Crotty lab paper on human upper airway immunity Shane Crotty on TWiV657 SARS-CoV-2 immunity Shane Crotty on TWiV684 Persistence of SARS-CoV memory Shane on TWiV802 Another epitope Time stamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Music by Tatami. Logo image by Blausen Medical Send your immunology questions and comments to immune@microbe.tv Information on this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

The hosts dive into the fascinating world of the immune system, discussing how cytotoxic T cells and granzyme K contribute to nasal inflammation and polyps. They explore the origins of IgA-producing B cells in the nose and the complexities of targeting granzyme K for asthma therapy. With humor, they contrast resilience in nature with the serious implications of their research, touching on the dynamics of immune responses in nasal tissue. The conversation also highlights challenges in mucosal vaccine development and the collaborative spirit within scientific podcasting.

Darren Lee, a researcher from UMass Chan Medical School, specializes in ocular immunology and real-time visualization of immune responses in the eye. He discusses the eye's unique ability to manage immune privilege, enabling acceptance of foreign grafts. The role of regulatory T cells in autoimmune uveitis is a focal point, as Lee explains their importance in regulating inflammation. He also shares insights on networking and storytelling for scientists, illustrating how early curiosity shaped his career in immunology.

Vincent and Cindy discuss differences between MPox-specific T cell responses following infection and vaccination, and lymph node macrophage control of memory B cell localization and trafficking that might be important for choosing which arm to get a vaccine. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Cindy Leifer Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Different T memory response to MPox infection or vaccination (Nat Comm 2025) Macrophages direct B cell recall responses after vaccination (Cell 2025) Time stamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Music by Tatami. Immune logo image by Blausen Medical Send your immunology questions and comments to immune@microbe.tv Information on this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

From the 2024 Society for Leukocyte Biology meeting, Cindy and Brianne sit down with Justin Wilson to talk about how he got into research and his more recent studies on innate immune sensors and the interaction between the gut microbiome and inflammation related to inflammatory bowel disease and cancer. Hosts: Cindy Leifer and Brianne Barker Guest: Justin Wilson Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Francisella tularensis undermining macrophage defenses (Infect Immunity) AIM2 suppressing colon cancer (Nature Med) NLRP12 regulates gut microbiota homeostasis (Cell Host Microbe) Oral bacteria and carcinogenesis connection (Microbiol Mol Bio Rev) Society for Leukocyte Biology Time stamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Music by Tatami. Logo image by Blausen Medical Send your immunology questions and comments to immune@microbe.tv Information on this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.