Ep. 82: “Immunological Memory” Featuring Dr. Susan Kaech

Guest:

Dr. Susan Kaech is a Professor and Director of the NOMIS Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis at the Salk Institute. Her lab aims to understand how memory T cells are produced during infection and vaccination, how they function, and why they can fail to induce long-term immunity, particularly during chronic disease or cancer. In this episode, she talks about her research on T cell exhaustion and neuroimmunology, as well as her path from genetics to immunology.

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The Immunology Round Up

Glycan Breakdown and Bacterial Function – Researchers used a large-scale screen to identify enzyme systems that represent an underappreciated mode of glycan degradation.

Cancer Risk after CAR T Therapy – Only a small percentage of patients who receive CAR T therapies develop secondary cancers, and most are not directly linked to CAR T treatment.

CD8⁺ T Cells in Hepatitis B – Hepatocellular priming induces key co-signaling receptors in dysfunctional CD8⁺ T cells.

T Cell Aging – T cell epigenetic clocks measure replicative history and can continue to accumulate well-beyond organismal lifespan.

Image courtesy of Dr. Susan Kaech