Matters Microbial #130: The Holobiont — Animals, Microbes, and Ecology May 19, 2026 Today Dr. Kevin Kohl, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss how he and his colleagues study the interplay between animals, their resident gut microbes, and the overarching concept of the holobiont. Host: Mark O. Martin Guest : Kevin Kohl Subscribe: Apple Podcasts , Spotify Become a patron of Matters Microbial! Links for this episode The One...
May 20, 2026•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 130
Nicholas Jackson, AKA Nick the Immunologist, talks about being a graduate student, social media creator, and his research on cytokine tools to investigate regulatory T cells. Host: Cindy Leifer Guest: Nicholas Jackson ( Nick the Immunologist ) Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Richard DiPaolo lab IL-2, TGFb and Tregs preprint Nick the Immunologist on TikTok Nick the Immunologist on Instagram Time stamps by Jo...
May 19, 2026•32 min
Luke O'Neill recounts his role in discovering key components of the TLR signaling pathway, explains how pursuing unexpected research questions keeps him motivated, and reflects on his experiences as an entrepreneur founding biotech companies. Host: Cindy Leifer Guest: Luke O'Neill Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server O'Neill lab Identification of MAL in the TLR signaling pathway (Nature, 2001) GDF 15, immunometa...
May 05, 2026•45 min
George Stark from the Cleveland Clinic reflects on his early training in biochemistry and how several sabbatical leaves sparked pivotal changes in his research trajectory, eventually drawing him to interferon signaling where he helped establish the core principles of the JAK–STAT pathway and uncovered interesting roles for interferon signaling in cancer. Host: Cindy Leifer Guest: George Stark Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode Microbe...
Apr 28, 2026•38 min
The Immune team talks all about cytokines, from what they are to immunotherapies against them to treat diseases. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Cindy Leifer , and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Non-specific virus neutralization by IgM and complement (mBio 2026) Natural antibodies against viruses (Virology blog, 2009) Biologics against inflammatory cytokines (Int J Cell Bio, 2016) Biologics agai...
Apr 21, 2026•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 103
Irah King from McGill University talks about his passion to understand how our immune system detects and responds to helminthic worm infections, how the worms can reprogram those responses, and how these pathways might be exploited to develop new treatments for inflammatory diseases. Host: Cindy Leifer Guest: Irah King Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server King lab at McGill Stromal cells and disease tolerance ag...
Apr 07, 2026•35 min
The Immune team discusses a paper describing the negative effects of old B cells on T cells and longevity and a snippet on an interesting vaccine approach to promote competition between gut commensals. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Cindy Leifer , Stephanie Langel, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Vaccine enhanced competition of gut bacteria (Science 2025) B cells drive immunosenescence and a...
Mar 31, 2026•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 102
A former anti-vax mom talks about going down the rabbit hole, her mindset shift, the importance of doctors who are willing to talk with patients about vaccines, and why she is now a vaccine advocate. Host: Cindy Leifer Guest : Ellen Mary Woods Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server A shot at life foundation Voices for Vaccines information and advocacy What the iPhone bendgate can teach us about vaccine hesitancy T...
Mar 17, 2026•1 hr 7 min
Gabrielle Rizzuto from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center discusses her work on the curious immunology of pregnancy and how a woman tolerates a genetically different baby but quickly rejects a mismatched organ donation. Host: Cindy Leifer Guest : Gabrielle Rizzuto Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Rizzuto lab at MSKCC Tolerance at the fetal -maternal interface (Nature, 2022) The paradox of fetal-maternal ...
Mar 03, 2026•34 min
Immune discusses how tattoo ink accumulates in lymph nodes, promotes inflammation and influences response to two different vaccines. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Cindy Leifer , Stephanie Langel, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server IL-9, CAR T cells and anti-tumor CD8 cells Tattoo ink, inflammation and vaccines Time stamps by Jolene Ramsey . Thanks! Music by Tatami. Immune logo image by Blausen...
Feb 24, 2026•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 101
Anna Beaudin from University of Utah talks about the key thread of her career, development, and how that influences her research on the events happening during critical prenatal windows shapes everything from the developing immune system to hearing loss. Host: Cindy Leifer Guest : Anna Beaudin Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Beaudin lab at University of Utah PhD work on metabolism and development Postdoc wo...
Feb 17, 2026•42 min
Leslie Berg talks about her career studying T cell receptor signaling, T cell development, and the importance of mentors in her career. Host: Cindy Leifer Guest: Leslie Berg Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Berg lab at University of Colorado Anschutz TCR thresholds and ITK ( PNAS ) Review on TCR signaling ( Nat Immunol ) Generation of TCR transgenic mice ( Mol Cell Bio) T cell negative selection in TCR trans...
Feb 10, 2026•45 min
The whole Immune gang gathers with special guests Gretchen Diehl and Shruti Naik at The Incubator with an audience to celebrate the 100th episode. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Cindy Leifer , Stephanie Langel, and Brianne Barker Guests: Gretchen Diehl and Shruti Naik Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Diehl: Gut microbe-specific T cell development (Nature 2021) Diehl: Bacteria-i nduced IL-1 is gut protective (Gu...
Jan 27, 2026•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 100
David Schatz talks about his discovery of Rag genes that are critical for antigen receptor development and how that discovery depended on taking high risks and using approaches that everyone thought could never work. Host: Cindy Leifer Guest: David Schatz Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server T ransfer of recombinase activity in non-lymphoid cells (Cell 1988) Identification of the RAG-1 gene (Cell 1989) Evolution...
Jan 13, 2026•30 min
The Immune team discusses the groundbreaking discoveries of regulatory T cells, which was the topic of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Cindy Leifer , and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Sakaguchi lab paper on FoxP3 and regulatory T cells (Science 2003) Brunkow and Ramsdell description of scurfy mouse mutation (Nature 2001) Nobel Prize writeup on Tre...
Dec 30, 2025•54 min•Ep. 99
Susan Schwab talks about how she got the research bug, bugs she ate, and her research on how the lipid S1P helps T cells decide- should I stay or should I go. Host: Cindy Leifer Guest: Susan Schwab Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Schwab lab website Monocytes produce the lipid S1P to regulate T cell movement Review on S1P and immune cell migration Time stamps by Jolene Ramsey . Thanks! Music by Tatami . Logo...
Dec 16, 2025•27 min
Immune discusses cross-reactive antibodies to avian influenza neuraminidases and a role for gut-derived T cells in the brain to regulate eating behavior. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Cindy Leifer , Steph Langel , and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Antibody cross-reactivity to influenza H5N1 ( Cell Host Microbe, 2025 ) Gut-derived T cells regulate behavior ( Nature, 2025 ) Time stamps by Jolen...
Nov 25, 2025•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 98
Kristian Andersen from Scripps Research Institute joins Cindy to talk about how he got interested in virus evolution, how the immune system drives viral adaptation, and what we can learn from this research to better prepare us for the next pandemic. Host: Cindy Leifer Guest: Kristian Andersen Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Andersen Lab website Perspective on Immunological drivers of virus emergence Kristia...
Nov 11, 2025•1 hr
Cindy and Steph discuss a paper that challenges the textbook dogma that B cells must first bind to an antigen for antibody affinity maturation to occur, and a snippet on dysfunctional T cells during bacterial vaginosis. Hosts: Cindy Leifer and Steph Langel Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Somatic hypermutation in non-specific B cells (Immunity 2025) Dysfunctional T cells during bacterial vaginosis (J Clin In...
Oct 28, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 97
Cindy sits down with Bali Pulendran at the AAI 2025 meeting where he told the story of how a childhood fascination with the cosmos grew into a career addressing fundamental questions about the human immune response, and how when an antigen enters the body it is like the big bang in how it initiates immune responses. Host: Cindy Leifer Guest: Bali Pulendran Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Systems vaccinology...
Oct 14, 2025•30 min
Elizabeth Marnik, also known as Science Whiz Liz, grew up unvaccinated, yet she is now an immunologist, science communicator, and advocate for vaccines–this is her story. Host: Cindy Leifer Guest: Elizabeth Marnick Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server More about Liz on her webpage ScienceWhizLiz on Instagram From the Science Classroom with Science Whiz Liz on Substack Time stamps by Jolene Ramsey . Thanks! Music...
Oct 07, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Immune discusses the potential future of delivering vaccines by flossing your teeth and how antibodies in human milk shape the normal immune responses in newborns. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Cindy Leifer , Steph Langel , and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Floss-based vaccination (Nat Biomed Engineering 2025) Press article on Floss-based vaccine paper (Sci News) Human milk IgA promotes immun...
Sep 30, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 96
Cindy speaks with Aimee Pugh Bernard from University of Colorado about her career and her passion for teaching and communicating immunology to the public. Host: Cindy Leifer Guest: Aimee Pugh Bernard Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server More about Aimee on her webpage Funsizeimmuninja on Instagram Fun Size Science video partnership with Unbiased Science Fun sizeimmuninja Substack Society for Leukocyte Biology Ti...
Sep 16, 2025•33 min
Immune discusses how cancer cells swap mitochondria with T cells and then digs in for a discussion of an unusual checkpoint blockade that failed for cancer but could be repurposed for autoimmune inflammation. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Cindy Leifer , Steph Langel , and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Cancer cells steal mitochondria from neurons for metastasis (Nature 2025) Cancer cells donat...
Aug 26, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 95
Cindy talks with Shane Crotty about his teenage days driving 3 ½ hours every weekend to have his first research experience in marine biology, how that eventually led to studying how vaccines work and how we can make them better, and how immunology research and publishing got a turbo-boost during the pandemic. Hosts: Cindy Leifer Guest: Shane Crotty Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Immune 85 discusses Crotty ...
Aug 12, 2025•40 min
The Immune team goes up the nose to discuss cytotoxic T cells activating complement through secretion of granzyme K to drive inflammatory nasal polyps and how IgA-producing B cells are made in the nose. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Cindy Leifer , Steph Langel , and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server CD8 T c ells in recurrent airway i nflammation ( Nature 2025 ) Where IgA producing B cells arise t...
Jul 29, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 94
From the 2024 Society for Leukocyte Biology meeting, Cindy and Brianne talk with Darren Lee to discuss his career, how he got interested in immunology of the eye, and how his team visualizes immune responses of the eye in real time with the hope of better understanding autoimmune uveitis. Hosts: Cindy Leifer and Brianne Barker Guest: Darren Lee Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server The eye is an immunosuppressive...
Jul 08, 2025•29 min
Vincent and Cindy discuss differences between MPox-specific T cell responses following infection and vaccination, and lymph node macrophage control of memory B cell localization and trafficking that might be important for choosing which arm to get a vaccine. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Cindy Leifer Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Different T memory response to MPox infection or vaccination ( Nat Comm 2025...
Jun 24, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 93
From the 2024 Society for Leukocyte Biology meeting, Cindy and Brianne sit down with Justin Wilson to talk about how he got into research and his more recent studies on innate immune sensors and the interaction between the gut microbiome and inflammation related to inflammatory bowel disease and cancer. Hosts: Cindy Leifer and Brianne Barker Guest: Justin Wilson Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Francisella t...
Jun 10, 2025•26 min
Steph talks about identification of gut bacteria that can digest protective mucosal antibodies and Vincent covers a new paper on Zika virus that implicates fetal phagocytes in brain invasion, which may provide insight into the devastating microcephaly outcome of infection during pregnancy. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Cindy Leifer , Steph Langel , and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of Immune! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server Gut bacter...
May 27, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 92
