Human Immunology News

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

Interpretable Inflammation Landscape of Circulating Immune Cells

January 13, 2026

[Nature Medicine] Scientists leveraged advances in single-cell transcriptomics to delineate inflammatory processes of circulating immune cells during infection, immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, and cancer.

Victoria’s Secret Grant Backs Cutting-Edge Ovarian Cancer Research

January 13, 2026

[University of Virginia] Dr. Melanie Rutkowski has been selected as a Victoria’s Secret Rising Innovator, receiving a Research Grant to further her studies of the role of the microbiome – the collection of microorganisms that live within us – in ovarian cancer and in the disease’s stubborn ability to resist immune therapy.

Piezo1-Mediated Autophagy Promotes Immune-Inflammatory Responses in Ankylosing Spondylitis

January 9, 2026

[Cell Death & Disease] Researchers investigated the specific mechanism by which Piezo1 mediates autophagy to regulate the immune-inflammatory response in ankylosing spondylitis.

Pathogenic Role of MIF Receptor (CD74) Expressing T Cells in Inflammatory Arthritis

January 9, 2026

[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America] Scientists examined the impact of gene deletion of migration inhibitory factor (MIF), or its cognate receptor CD74 in the T cell–dependent model of collagen-induced arthritis and observed the complete absence of arthritis development, suggesting an unforeseen role for MIF/CD74 signaling in the development of arthritogenic T cells.

Immune Profiling in a Living Human Recipient of a Gene-Edited Pig Kidney

January 9, 2026

[Nature Medicine] Scientists recently performed a gene-edited pig kidney transplantation into a living human recipient with end-stage kidney disease. Here, using transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and multiplexed imaging, they conducted high-dimensional immune profiling in this individual.

A Distinct Subset of Stem-Cell Memory Is Poised for the Cytotoxicity Program in CD4 T Cells in Humans

January 8, 2026

[Science Advances] By parallelly analyzing the human peripheral CD4+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and CD8+ CTLs, scientists demonstrated that they are indistinguishable for the cytotoxic program.

Bidirectional Regulation in the Tumor Microenvironment: The Interaction Between Tumor-Associated Macrophages and T Cells Reshapes the Paradigm of Cancer Immunotherapy

January 8, 2026

[Immunology] Scientists provide an in-depth analysis of the complex bidirectional interaction mechanisms between tumour-associated macrophages and T cells in the tumour microenvironment.

CD19 CAR-T Cells for Treatment-Refractory Autoimmune Diseases: The Phase 1/2 CASTLE Basket Trial

January 8, 2026

[Nature Medicine] Researchers investigated the safety and efficacy of zorpocabtagene autoleucel, an autologous CD19 CAR-T cell product, in patients with treatment-resistant systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, and idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

Targeting MLCK1 Uncouples Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Induced Colitis from Antitumour Immunity

January 8, 2026

[Gut] Researchers investigated long myosin light chain kinase 1 (MLCK1), a known regulator of tight junction and gut permeability, to elucidate the mechanisms underlying immune checkpoint inhibitor-mediated colitis and identified approaches to reduce this toxicity.

Intrathecal CRISPR-Edited Allogeneic IL-13Rα2 CAR T Cells for Recurrent High-Grade Glioma: Preclinical Characterization and Phase I Trial

January 8, 2026

[Nature Communications] Scientists generated off-the-shelf CRISPR-Cas9–edited IL-13Rα2-specific allogeneic universal CAR-T cells

Contextualizing TH17 Cells in Cancer

January 7, 2026

[Nature Reviews Immunology] Researchers examine the context-dependent roles of TH17 cells in cancer, with a focus on the environmental signals and regulatory networks that may shape their phenotypes during cancer development and progression.

The Multilayered Identity of B Cell Memory

January 7, 2026

[Cellular & Molecular Immunology] The authors review the mechanisms underlying memory B cell (MBC) differentiation, maintenance, and reactivation and explore how the layered identity of MBCs contributes to the functions of these cells.

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.