IMMUNOLOGY2026™: Day 5
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In the final episode of Immunology 2026, Dr. Jason Goldsmith and Dr. Brenda Rad reflect on the week's key scientific highlights from the Boston conference. They discuss transformative advances in mucosal immunology, including intranasal delivery of pan-reactive influenza antibodies showing durable protection and promising phase one results. The episode highlights innovative therapeutic strategies such as engineered cytokine-antibody fusions targeting Tregs with low-dose IL-2, PD-1 agonist bispecifics for transplant tolerance, and novel approaches to vitiligo treatment involving IL-15 blockade and CD137 quorum sensing. The hosts also critique the lack of upfront conflict-of-interest disclosures from a speaker who presented multiple company-backed technologies. In the morning sessions, they spotlight critical findings on age-related susceptibility to RSV, the underappreciated role of IgM in dengue neutralization, and the unexpected influence of PTPN22 on follicular helper T cell development. A standout technological innovation is Michael Birnbaum’s high-throughput TCR-antigen pairing platform using barcode-labeled pseudoviruses, offering a promising path to decode T cell specificity in autoimmune and cancer contexts. The episode closes with a warm farewell and anticipation for Immunology 2027 in Los Angeles.
Intranasal pan-reactive influenza antibodies show durable protection and could revolutionize rapid-response antiviral therapy.
IgM antibodies play a critical, underappreciated role in broad dengue neutralization, especially during secondary infections.
Engineered IL-2 fusion proteins can selectively target Tregs, reducing toxicity while maintaining therapeutic potential for IBD.
CD137 signaling functions as a T cell quorum-sensing mechanism, offering a new target for autoimmune diseases like vitiligo.
High-throughput TCR-antigen pairing via barcode-labeled pseudoviruses enables scalable identification of disease-relevant T cell receptors.
…and 2 more takeaways available in PodZeus
Welcome & Final Day Overview
Dr. Goldsmith and Dr. Rad welcome listeners to the final episode of Immunology 2026, summarizing the week's highlights and setting the stage for reflections on the most impactful science.
Therapeutic & Translational Immunology Symposium
“It feels good to kind of build up to the big reveal, but I guess it's more honest to give that from the beginning so people can evaluate the information.”
Vitiligo: From Ancient Treatments to Modern Biologics
“You can eat a bunch of T cells all touching each other, and that's how CD137 works. And so if you block that, vitiligo gets better.”
CD4+ T-cell & B-cell Immunity Against Viruses
“There's this sizable and very characteristic response of IgM antibodies that are mounted both through primary and a secondary infection. And that can account for like 60% or 40% for the second infection of the antibody, the neutralizing antibodies in the blood.”
Cutting-Edge TCR Discovery Technology
“If the peptide MHC and the TCR are binding to each other so you have a successful recognition, this will result in infection or the transduction of that T cell with that virus.”
“If the peptide MHC and the TCR are binding to each other so you have a successful recognition, this will result in infection or the transduction of that T cell with that virus.”
“You can eat a bunch of T cells all touching each other, and that's how CD137 works. And so if you block that, vitiligo gets better.”
“There's this sizable and very characteristic response of IgM antibodies that are mounted both through primary and a secondary infection. And that can account for like 60% or 40% for the second infection of the antibody, the neutralizing antibodies in the blood.”
Hosts
Dr. Jason Goldsmith
person
Dr. Brenda Rad
person
Dengue
other
Vitiligo
other
IL-2
other
RSV
other
John Harris
person
Stem Cell Technologies
organization
Lymphoprep
product
PD-1
other
Ep. 128: “Lymphatic Immunobiology” Featuring Dr. Amanda Lund
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