Human Immunology News

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

Ikaros Degradation by Mezigdomide Reduces T-Cell Dysfunction and Improves the Efficacy of Antimyeloma T-Cell Therapies

May 11, 2026

[Blood] Using bone marrow samples from multiple myeloma patients, scientists demonstrated a reduction in dysfunctional T cell populations expressing exhaustion markers such as TIGIT, upon treatment with Mezigdomide. They demonstrated the ability of Mezigdomide to enhance survival outcomes from anti-BCMA CAR-T therapy.

Maternal Helminths Rewire the Microbiota to Promote Offspring Antiviral Immunity

May 6, 2026

[Cell Host & Microbe] Researchers discovered that maternal helminths, an evolutionarily conserved mammalian partner lost in industrialized societies, confer broad and lasting protection against respiratory viruses in offspring. Analysis of chronically helminth-infected human populations reveals gut microbiota enriched for tryptophan metabolic capacity.

Pliant Therapeutics Announces First Patient Dosed in FORTIFY, the Phase 1b Indication Expansion Trial Evaluating PLN-101095 in Patients with ICI-Refractory Solid Tumors

May 5, 2026

[Pliant Therapeutics] Pliant Therapeutics announced the dosing of the first participant in the FORTIFY Phase Ib open-label indication expansion clinical trial of PLN-101095 in combination with pembrolizumab, in patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor-refractory advanced or metastatic solid tumors. PLN-101095 is an oral, small molecule, dual selective inhibitor of the integrins αvβ8 and αvβ1.

Ovarian Cancer Canada Invests $725k to Make New Class of Treatments “Clinical Trial-Ready”

May 5, 2026

[Ovarian Cancer Canada] Ovarian Cancer Canada is investing $725,000 to enable powerful natural killer cell immunotherapy that Dr. Jeanette Boudreau has been developing for many years to become “clinical trial-ready”.

IL10R Inhibition Induces Neutrophil Tumoricidal Activity

May 5, 2026

[Cancer Immunology Research] Scientists found that anti-CD40–based therapy, when combined with IL10 receptor blockade, initiates a Batf3-dependent pathway in which IL12 and IFNγ secretion results in oncolytic neutrophil activity.

Non-Viral Targeted Integration of Large DNA in Primary Human T Cells Independent of Double-Stranded DNA Breaks

May 5, 2026

[Nature Biomedical Engineering] The authors reported PRIME-In, a novel genome-editing platform that uses a prime editing-engineered donor template coupled with either single or paired genomic nicks to enable precise integration of substantial DNA payloads into human cells without reliance on double-strand break repair pathways.

FOSL1 Orchestrates Epigenetic Reprogramming of Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer and Suppresses NK Cell-Mediated Antitumor Immunity

May 5, 2026

[Cancer Research] Researchers investigated the role of super-enhancers, clusters of adjacent enhancers that drive high expression of genes, in reshaping the tumor microenvironment in anaplastic thyroid cancer.

Researchers Urge Providers to Consider Regimen for Patients Whose Tumors Harbor Specific Mutations

May 4, 2026

[UC News] Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) Gardner Neuroscience Institute’s Brain Tumor Center have been confirmed as the first in the world to achieve complete remission of a rare pituitary cancer using a novel immunotherapy treatment.

γδ T Cells in Colorectal and Liver Cancer

May 1, 2026

[Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology] The authors present basic features of γδ T cells and their distribution and function in the context of the local immune response. Given their cytotoxic activity and HLA-independent mode of action, there is increasing interest in harnessing γδ T cells for application in cancer immunotherapy.

Postprandial Lipid Metabolism Durably Enhances T Cell Immunity

May 1, 2026

[Nature] Researchers showed that the short-term nutritional state of an individual has marked effects on T cell immunity. Human or murine T cells from fed hosts had higher metabolic capacity than those from fasted hosts, and this increase in capacity persisted after activation and expansion in vitro or in vivo.

NAD+ Augmentation by Nicotinamide Riboside Engages SLIT2/ROBO1 Signaling to Attenuate Th17 Inflammation in Psoriasis

May 1, 2026

[JCI Insight] Investigators performed a randomized, placebo-controlled nicotinamide riboside-supplementation study in individuals with mild-to-moderate psoriasis.

Age- and Tissue-Dependent Diversity of Human Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells Uncovers a Cycling Subset Dominant in Early Life and Cancer

May 1, 2026

[Immunity] Single-cell RNA sequencing of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) from blood, thymus, lymph nodes, and tonsils across fetal, infant, and pediatric stages revealed tissue-enriched programs, including IFN-I-imprinted pDCs in the thymus, NF-κB-imprinted pDCs in tonsils, and resting pDCs in blood and lymph nodes.

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.