IMMUNOLOGY2026™: Day 1

This special episode of The Immunology Podcast marks Day 1 of Immunology 2026 in Boston, with hosts Dr. Jason Goldsmith and Dr. Brenda Roud providing a lively recap of key sessions from the annual meeting of the American Association of Immunologists. The episode opens with a sponsor segment for Stem Cell Technologies’ CEPMATE and Lymphoprep, offering a free trial sample through May 11th. The hosts then dive into highlights from the day’s scientific sessions, beginning with a discussion on high-throughput proteomics from NOMIC, which uses a bead-based, nested FRET technology to profile up to 1,000 proteins per sample for just $50—offering early detection of drug toxicity missed in traditional assays. They also spotlight a machine learning-driven network analysis tool called Cornet, which resolves long-standing debates about IL-12’s role in T follicular helper cell differentiation by integrating multi-omics data, revealing that chromatin accessibility changes—not just gene expression—drive immune responses. The second half focuses on respiratory immunology, featuring trainee presentations on bacterial pneumonia (OSM signaling in alveolar macrophages), lung-resident memory T cells with an 'exhaustion-like' phenotype, mucosal vaccine strategies using tracheal respiratory tract inoculation (TRT) to boost IgA responses, and a surprising finding that skin mite infections can trigger ILC2 cells to migrate to the lungs and adopt a skin-like phenotype, potentially enhancing lung immunity. The episode closes with lighthearted banter about hay fever and futuristic immunotherapies, including CRISPR-based CAR-T cells targeting IgE.