The Immunology Podcast

Guest: Dr. Alessandro Sette is a Center Head, Division Head, and Professor at the La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology. His lab focuses on understanding the immune response, measuring immune activity, and developing disease intervention strategies against cancer, autoimmunity, allergy, and infectious diseases. He talks about bringing a biotech mindset back to academia, cross-reactive T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2, and compiling an immune-epitope database. Featured Products and Resources: Register for the 18th IUIS International Congress of Immunology, to be held in Cape Town from 27 November-2 December 2023. Read interviews with immunologists. The Immunology Science Round Up Gut T Cells and Cancer Metastasis – A subset of CD8+ T cells from colon tumors improves control of liver tumors in a preclinical model of colorectal carcinoma. α2-adrenergic Receptors and Immunotherapy – α2-Adrenergic receptor agonists have very strong anti-tumor activity when used as monotherapies in multiple immunocompetent tumor models. Bacteria in Immune Checkpoint Blockade – Antibiotic-induced changes in gut microbiota resulted in relocation of immunosuppressive T cells from the gut to tumors. Base Editing CAR T Cells – Researchers investigated the safety of base-edited CAR T cells in three children with relapsed leukemia. Image courtesy of Dr. Alessandro Sette Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

In May 2023, we attended IMMUNOLOGY2023, the annual meeting of the American Association of Immunologists, in Washington, DC. We spoke with delegates about their research and impressions of the meeting, including their reasons for attending, what they were most looking forward to, and the most memorable research presented. Featured Products and Resources: Register for the International Union of Immunological Societies 2023 Congress in Cape Town, South Africa from November 27 to December 2. Prepare for your next conference. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Bana Jabri is the Sarah and Harold Lincoln Thompson Professor in the Department of Medicine and the Research Director of the Celiac Disease Center at the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on innate and mucosal immunity, particularly in celiac disease, autoimmune disorders, and inflammatory bowel disease. She talks about the mechanisms of celiac disease and new treatment options. She also discusses how the microbiome can affect immune responses in cancer. Featured Products and Resources: Stay up-to-date with the latest in immune regulation news. Download free immunology wallcharts. The Immunology Science Round Up Capsules to Study the Intestinal Environment – Scientists developed an ingestible device that collects samples from multiple regions of the human intestinal tract during digestion. T Cell Receptor Affinity – Repetitive pathogen exposure leads to the dominant outgrowth of T cell clones with high T cell receptor affinity to the relevant pathogen-associated antigens. Gut Bacterial Evolution Between Species – Analyses of metagenome-resolved genomes from humans and primate species reveal significant co-diversification of bacterial gut symbionts. A Pancreatic Cancer Vaccine – Researchers synthesized mRNA neoantigen vaccines in real time from surgically resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tumors. Image courtesy of Dr. Bana Jabri Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

In May 2023, we attended IMMUNOLOGY2023, the annual meeting of the American Association of Immunologists in Washington, DC, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the previous 24 hours. Here is the final of five special episodes from the meeting. Brenda and Jason talk about sessions on mucosal immunity, emerging pathogens, and having a successful postdoctoral experience. Highlights include Dr. Isaac Chiu‘s talk on pain and mucus production in the gut, Dr. James Crowe‘s talk on monoclonal antibody discovery, and Dr. Amy Hartman’s talk on Rift Valley fever virus. Featured Products and Resources: Read interviews with immunologists. Watch videos on career development from the NIH Office of Intramural Training & Education. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Dive into the intriguing world of immunology, where researchers unveil the role of micelles in drug delivery. Discover how helminth infections may influence susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2. Highlights include investigations on TLR7 and immune cell behavior in juvenile arthritis and newborns. The discussion also explores microbiome effects on immune signaling and groundbreaking cytokine therapies for cancer. Finally, learn about innovative techniques in targeted immunotherapy and the pivotal role of regulatory T cells in minimizing allograft rejection.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, a leading immunologist renowned for his COVID-19 response, shares insights on the pandemic's lessons. Dr. Doug Green, an authority on T cell activation, discusses critical dynamics of T cell behavior. The conversation dives into immune challenges posed by aging and obesity, along with innovative strategies for enhanced cancer vaccines. Listeners can expect to gain a deeper understanding of T cell function and the importance of genetics in immune responses. Exciting advancements in immunology are also unveiled!

In May 2023, we attended IMMUNOLOGY2023, the annual meeting of the American Association of Immunologists in Washington, DC, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the previous 24 hours. Here is the second of five special episodes from the meeting. Brenda and Jason discuss sessions on peripheral neuroimmune interactions and tumor cellular therapy. Highlights include the President’s Address by Dr. Mark Davis and Dr. Barbara Rehermann’s presentation on wild mouse microbiota. Featured Products and Resources: Explore STEMCELL Technologies’ workshops and resources at IMMUNOLOGY2023 Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

In May 2023, we attended IMMUNOLOGY2023, the annual meeting of the American Association of Immunologists in Washington, DC, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the previous 24 hours. Here is the first of five special episodes from the meeting, in which Jason and Brenda summarize symposia on B and T-helper cells, and metabolic and gut microbiota. They discuss antigenic imprinting, lupus immunophenotyping and sex differences, dengue vaccines, and cytomegalovirus research. Featured Products and Resources: Explore STEMCELL Technologies’ workshops at IMMUNOLOGY2023 Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Prasanna Jagannathan is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in Infectious Diseases and of Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University. His research focuses on the mechanisms of clinical immunity to malaria. He talks about how repeated exposure to malaria can lead to tolerance without symptoms, promising vaccines and treatments to prevent reinfection, and the role of innate immune cells. He also discusses shifting from religious studies to teaching to medicine, and establishing long-term collaborations with researchers in Uganda. Featured Products and Resources: We’ll see you at IMMUNOLOGY2023! Keep current with the latest immunology of infectious diseases news. The Immunology Science Round Up Blocking Psoriasis Signaling with Methotrexate – Scientists identified SLC46A2 as an important target for anti-inflammatory intervention in the skin. Tumor-Infiltrating Tregs – Researchers discovered and validated new master regulators of human tumor-infiltrating Tregs. TH9 Cells and Allergic Inflammation – JAK inhibitors may be effective for allergic patients with TH9 cell expansion. Gene Editing Primary Lymphocytes – Researchers used a CRISPR ribonucleoprotein mixed with an amphiphilic peptide to increase the yields of edited primary human lymphocytes. Peptide-Assisted Genome Editing – Scientists demonstrated rapid and efficient editing of primary cells with low cellular toxicity and no significant transcriptional perturbation. Image courtesy of Dr. Prasanna Jagannathan Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Joshua Brody is the Director of the Lymphoma Immunotherapy Program at the Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai. The Brody lab studies basic and applied tumor immunology for the development of cancer immunotherapies, particularly for lymphomas and melanomas. He talks about dendritic cells to improve oncolytic virus immunotherapy and in situ vaccination to improve PD-1 blockade responses. Featured Products and Resources: IMMUNOLOGY2023 will be held May 11-15 in Washington, DC. Register now! T Cell Therapy Research: From Bench to Bedside The Immunology Science Round Up Enhancing T Cell Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 Variants – A new mRNA vaccine component elicits non-spike T cell responses in mice while maintaining spike immunity. Why Infants Are Protected from Pneumonia – Enhanced opsonophagocytosis by neonatal neutrophils improves protection against Streptococcus pneumoniae in early life. Tertiary Lymphoid Structures and Lung Cancer Immunotherapy – Researchers identified endogenous retrovirus envelope glycoproteins as a dominant antitumor antibody target in lung cancer. Engineered Bacteria As a Melanoma Vaccine – Scientists engineered a Staphylococcus epidermidis strain to express melanoma tumor antigens and tested their ability to drive antitumor immune responses. Image courtesy of Dr. Joshua Brody Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe