Human Immunology News

Human Immunology News is an online publication and email newsletter for researchers studying the human immune system.

Antigen-Specific TH17 Cells Offset the Age-Related Decline in Durable T Cell Immunity

February 18, 2026

[Science Advances] Researchers contrasted varicella zoster virus antigen–specific memory T cell responses in adults vaccinated at young or older age with a live-attenuated vaccine conferring durable protection only when given at young age or with an adjuvanted component vaccine eliciting long-lasting immunity in older adults.

2′-O-Methyl-Guanosine RNA Fragments Antagonize TLR7 and TLR8 to Limit Autoimmunity

February 18, 2026

[Nature Immunology] Investigators showed that select 2′-O-methyl guanosine RNA fragments, including those derived from host RNAs, function as potent TLR7 and TLR8 antagonists and reduce TLR7 sensing in vivo.

Harnessing Mucosal Immunity for Protective Vaccines

February 18, 2026

[Nature Reviews Immunology] The authors outline how specialized immune-inductive and effector mechanisms across distinct mucosal compartments contribute to protective immunity and discuss emerging strategies to harness multilayered mucosal immunity to develop safe, effective vaccines that elicit durable protection.

Overcoming CXCR4-Mediated T-Cell Exclusion Potentiates Antitumor Cytotoxicity in Fibrolamellar Carcinoma

February 18, 2026

[Gastroenterology] Investigators demonstrated that immune resistance in fibrolamellar carcinoma is mediated by both local T cell exclusion and exhaustion, with combination CXCR4 and PD-1 blockade acting cooperatively to overcome these independent mechanisms.

Individualized mRNA Vaccines Evoke Durable T Cell Immunity in Adjuvant TNBC

February 18, 2026

[Nature] Scientists assessed an individualized neoantigen mRNA vaccine in 14 patients with triple negative breast canncer following surgery and after neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy.

Innate Antiviral and Immune Functions Associated with the HIV Reservoir Decay after Anti-PD-1 Therapy

February 13, 2026

[Nature Medicine] Scientists performed a prespecified exploratory, longitudinal multiomic profiling of 30 people living with HIV with cancer in the Phase I CITN-12 clinical trial, in which pembrolizumab was evaluated for safety and preliminary antitumor activity. They observed an expansion of proliferating HIV-specific effector CD8+ T cells and a decline in plasma TGFβ.

PCSK9-Mediated Degradation of Cell-Surface LDL Receptors Impairs Human CD8+ T Cell Effector Functions

February 10, 2026

[iScience] Treatment of activated human CD8+ T cells from healthy donors with recombinant PCSK9 reduces surface LDL receptors and ICAM-1 expression, granzyme B secretion, and proliferation.

Single-Cell Profiling Reveals Diverse γδ T Cell Subsets in Ulcerative Colitis

February 10, 2026

[Science Immunology] Researchers characterized γδ T cells in intestinal biopsies obtained from patients with ulcerative colitis and healthy donors using single-cell RNA sequencing, T cell receptor profiling, and mass cytometry.

Texas Children’s Faculty Secure $3.2M in Recent Research Grants

February 10, 2026

[Texas Children’s Cancer & Hematology Center] Texas Children’s Cancer & Hematology Center is proud to celebrate faculty who have recently secured a total of over $3.2M in competitive research grants supporting innovative projects across cancer biology, immunotherapy, disease monitoring, and cancer susceptibility.

First-in-Human Study Finds Novel Immune Cell Therapy Is Safe and Effective in Advanced Lymphoma

February 10, 2026

[University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center] In a first-in-human study, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center observed strong responses and early signs of antitumor activity in patients with difficult-to-treat non-Hodgkin lymphomas who received the novel cell therapy RB-1355.

Interleukin Signaling Mitigates the Inhibitory Effects of Combined Src/BCR-ABL1 Blockade on T-Cell Activity in Philadelphia Chromosome-Positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

February 10, 2026

[Haematologica] IL-7 robustly enhances human T cell proliferation, reduces exhaustion, and significantly improves blinatumomab’s cytotoxic efficacy in the presence of Src/BCRABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Oncolytic Viruses: Advanced Strategies in Cancer Therapy

February 6, 2026

[Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy] The authors discuss the classification of oncolytic viruses and their multimodal mechanisms that target tumorigenesis, metastasis, disease recurrence, and therapy resistance.

Each issue of Human Immunology News provides up-to-date coverage of the latest news in immunology research performed using human cells or subjects. Our expert editors hand-pick recent research papers and review articles from relevant high-impact peer-reviewed journals on topics including immunotherapy, autoimmunity, adaptive, and innate immunity in humans. We also feature news on clinical trials, award announcements, and funding opportunities.