Immune

Immune discusses a snippet on how EBV infection alters the immunopeptidome and promotes multiple sclerosis, and a paper on head and neck cancers harboring bacteria that create an immunosuppressive environment and promote immunotherapy resistance. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Cindy Leifer ,  Stephanie Langel,  and  Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  o...

Gabriel Nunez discusses the discovery of NOD-like receptors, NOD1 and NOD2, in inflammatory bowel disease and how travel and taking a moment to enjoy local culture and art influences his creativity. Host:  Cindy Leifer Guest:  Gabriel  Nuñez Subscribe (free):  Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server HLA and  antigen presentation (...

Martha Alexander-Miller discusses why newborn and infant immune responses to vaccines are generally less effective and how we can make vaccines safer and more effective. Host:  Cindy Leifer Guest:  Martha Alexander-Miller Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Flu HA  nanoparticle vaccine  (Nat Comm, 2025) Sex-d...

The Immune team talks about two papers on the effect of sleep and environment on seasonal allergies.  Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Cindy Leifer , and  Brianne Barker Subscribe (free):  Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Sleep is needed for  condition dependent allergic responses  (PNAS, 2020) Original paper on allergy to art...

Matters Microbial #130: The Holobiont — Animals, Microbes, and Ecology May 19, 2026 Today Dr. Kevin Kohl, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss how he and his colleagues study the interplay between animals, their resident gut microbes, and the overarching concept of the holobiont. Host:  Mark O. Martin Guest :  Kevin Kohl Su...

Nicholas Jackson, AKA Nick the Immunologist, talks about being a graduate student, social media creator, and his research on cytokine tools to investigate regulatory T cells. Host:  Cindy Leifer Guest: Nicholas Jackson ( Nick the Immunologist ) Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Richard  DiPaolo  lab IL-2, T...

Luke O'Neill recounts his role in discovering key components of the TLR signaling pathway, explains how pursuing unexpected research questions keeps him motivated, and reflects on his experiences as an entrepreneur founding biotech companies. Host:  Cindy Leifer Guest:  Luke O'Neill Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Disco...

George Stark from the Cleveland Clinic reflects on his early training in biochemistry and how several sabbatical leaves sparked pivotal changes in his research trajectory, eventually drawing him to interferon signaling where he helped establish the core principles of the JAK–STAT pathway and uncovered interesting roles for interferon signaling in cancer. Host:  Cindy Leifer Guest:  George Stark Su...

The Immune team talks all about cytokines, from what they are to immunotherapies against them to treat diseases. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Cindy Leifer , and  Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Non-specific virus neutralization by IgM  and complement (mBio 2026) Natural antibodies  against...

Irah King from McGill University talks about his passion to understand how our immune system detects and responds to helminthic worm infections, how the worms can reprogram those responses, and how these pathways might be exploited to develop new treatments for inflammatory diseases.  Host:  Cindy Leifer Guest:  Irah King Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of Immune...

The Immune team discusses a paper describing the negative effects of old B cells on T cells and longevity and a snippet on an interesting vaccine approach to promote competition between gut commensals. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Cindy Leifer ,  Stephanie Langel,  and  Brianne Barker Subscribe (free):  Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV D...

A former anti-vax mom talks about going down the rabbit hole, her mindset shift, the importance of doctors who are willing to talk with patients about vaccines, and why she is now a vaccine advocate. Host:  Cindy Leifer Guest :   Ellen Mary Woods Subscribe (free):  Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server A shot at life  foundation...

Gabrielle Rizzuto from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center discusses her work on the curious immunology of pregnancy and how a woman tolerates a genetically different baby but quickly rejects a mismatched organ donation. Host:  Cindy Leifer Guest :  Gabrielle Rizzuto Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Riz...

Immune discusses how tattoo ink accumulates in lymph nodes, promotes inflammation and influences response to two different vaccines. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello ,  Cindy Leifer ,  Stephanie Langel,  and  Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server IL-9,  CAR T cells and anti-tumor  CD8 cells Tattoo ink,...

Anna Beaudin from University of Utah talks about the key thread of her career, development, and how that influences her research on the events happening during critical prenatal windows shapes everything from the developing immune system to hearing loss. Host:  Cindy Leifer Guest : Anna Beaudin Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of Immune! Links for this episode Mic...

Leslie Berg talks about her career studying T cell receptor signaling, T cell development, and the importance of mentors in her career.   Host: Cindy Leifer Guest:  Leslie Berg Subscribe (free):  Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Berg lab  at University of Colorado Anschutz TCR thresholds and ITK ( PNAS ) Review on TCR signa...

The whole Immune gang gathers with special guests Gretchen Diehl and Shruti Naik at The Incubator with an audience to celebrate the 100th episode. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Cindy Leifer ,  Stephanie Langel,  and  Brianne Barker Guests:  Gretchen Diehl  and  Shruti Naik Subscribe (free):  Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server...

David Schatz talks about his discovery of Rag genes that are critical for antigen receptor development and how that discovery depended on taking high risks and using approaches that everyone thought could never work. Host:  Cindy Leifer Guest:  David Schatz Subscribe (free):  Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server T ransfer of re...

The Immune team discusses the groundbreaking discoveries of regulatory T cells, which was the topic of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Cindy Leifer , and  Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Sakaguchi lab  paper on FoxP3 and regulatory T cells  (Sci...

Susan Schwab talks about how she got the research bug, bugs she ate, and her research on how the lipid S1P helps T cells decide- should I stay or should I go. Host:  Cindy Leifer Guest: Susan Schwab Subscribe (free):  Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Schwab lab  website Monocytes  produce the lipid S1P  to regulate T cell m...

Immune discusses cross-reactive antibodies to avian influenza neuraminidases and a role for gut-derived T cells in the brain to regulate eating behavior.   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 Antibody  cross-reactivity to influen...

Kristian Andersen from Scripps Research Institute joins Cindy to talk about how he got interested in virus evolution, how the immune system drives viral adaptation, and what we can learn from this research to better prepare us for the next pandemic. Host:  Cindy Leifer Guest:  Kristian Andersen Subscribe (free):  Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of Immune! Links for this episode Mi...

Cindy and Steph discuss a paper that challenges the textbook dogma that B cells must first bind to an antigen for antibody affinity maturation to occur, and a snippet on dysfunctional T cells during bacterial vaginosis. Hosts:  Cindy Leifer  and  Steph Langel Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Somatic  hyper...

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...

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 Inst...