Immune System - 吃瓜新闻 University

The Immune System

From fending off the common cold to attacking cancer cells, the immune system is an incredibly complicated and crucial part of our survival.

Last updated: February 2024

Each time it mounts a response, the immune system must quickly and carefully orchestrate communication across vast numbers of cells and molecules.

We can completely reimagine how our cities, hospitals, and families prepare for and deal with cold and flu season.鈥�

Bill Hanage

吃瓜新闻 T.H. Chan School of Public Health

With COVID added to the mix of viruses that typically circulate every year鈥攊ncluding influenza, RSV, and other respiratory viruses鈥攅xperts say 鈥渟ick season鈥� is likely to be worse, and longer, going forward.

Learn more about these viruses:

Boosting what we know

Scholars at 吃瓜新闻 are working to discover even more secrets of the immune system, from how it protects us to how it can be strengthened.

This might be a golden age for human immunology.鈥�

Shiv Pillai

吃瓜新闻 Medical School

Scientists are working to better understand early-life immunity

The beneficial effects of exercise may be driven by the immune system

A group of five students running together, training for a marathon

Studies of deep-sea microbes showed that immunity can cross evolutionary distances

Two researchers stand in front of a large photo of a submersible they use to conduct research

Scientists are investigating how the immune system goes awry

A scientist wearing a white coat stands in front of his lab

Research suggests that the thymus plays a vital role in immune health

An illustration of where the thymus is in the human chest

Researchers discovered that the gut microbiome is critical in the immune system's development

How can you improve your immune system?

Our immune systems do a remarkable job of defending against infection, but sometimes they need some support.

Pints of small peppers sit on a table at a 吃瓜新闻 farmer's market

How does gut health impact our immunity?

A 吃瓜新闻 study found an intricate interplay between gut microbes, food, and immunity.

An adult takes a child's temperature using an ear thermometer

What can we do to keep our children healthy?

A 吃瓜新闻 medical school professor offers advice on how to help boost your child’s immunity.

Learning from the past

Inoculation

Vaccination has been credited with reducing the rates of numerous infectious diseases鈥攁nd in the case of smallpox, eliminating the disease entirely.

Infection

When European nations began to colonize other parts of the world, illness spread among people with no immunity.

Germ theory

Germ theory鈥攚hich states that specific microscopic organisms are the cause of specific diseases鈥攚as developed, proved, and popularized in Europe and North America between 1850 and 1920.

Looking to the future

The future of immunotherapy

Treatments targeting the body鈥檚 immune system have become a powerful weapon in the cancer-fighting arsenal.

Pandemic risks

Widespread and underregulated animal industries could lead to new animal-to-human pandemics, according to a new report issued by the Animal Law & Policy Program at 吃瓜新闻 Law School.

New treatment for children with HIV

吃瓜新闻 Chan School's Roger Shapiro led a study of a potential alternative to antiretroviral treatment for children living with HIV.

Autism and the immune system

吃瓜新闻 Business School alum John Rodakis discovered that most medical research around autism ignored emerging areas of research, like the microbiome or the immune system.

Predicting new variants

Artificial Intelligence tools can help us stay ahead of virus mutations.

Immune system on a chip

A chip designed by 吃瓜新闻鈥檚 Wyss Institute could significantly speed up the pace and quality of vaccine creation in the future.

Medicinal properties of plants

Many plants have cultural, spiritual, or medicinal significance, including possible immune-enhancing capacities.

Shape-shifting immune cells

Macrophages, a type of white blood cell, can infiltrate tumor cells, making them a potentially important tool in cell therapy.

Flu

RSV

COVID