Inflammatory Content

Dr. Miguel Reina-Campos is an Assistant Professor at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in La Jolla, California. The Reina lab seeks to understand the underlying principles governing tissue immune networks that enable robust and long-term protection against infection and tumors. In this conversation, Miguel and Kellen talk about cancer, metabolism, tissue resident memory T cells, spatial transcriptomics, advice for postdocs pursuing academia, and much more. Reina Lab: https://www.lji.org/labs/reina-lab/ Reina BioRxiv 2024: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38585842/ Reina Nature 2023: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37648857/ Reina Cancer Cell 2019: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30827887/ Reina Nature Reviews Immunology 2021: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33981085/ Twitter/X: @MReinaCampos To help us spread science, please consider writing a review, sharing this episode with your friends and colleagues, or donating to support our work. Please reach out to us via email (kcavagnero@gmail.com) or X (@KellenCavagnero) with any questions, comments, topic suggestions, etc.

Dr. Gur-Cohen is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Regenerative Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Gur-Cohen's work has unearthed the lymphatic capillary network as a novel stem cell niche component, and her multidisciplinary strategy has advanced our knowledge of how stem cells synchronize and coordinate tissue regeneration. In this conversation, Shiri and Kellen talk about stem cells, lymphatics, and microscopy. As a relatively new principal investigator, Shiri has a lot of advice for trainees in regards to choosing a postdoc, and she talks with Kellen about the topic at length in this conversation. Gur-Cohen lab website: https://gurcohenlab.com/ Lymphatics stem cell interaction paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31672914/ To help us spread science, please consider writing a review, sharing this episode with your friends and colleagues, or donating to support our work (Venmo @Kellen-Cavagnero). Please reach out to us via email (kcavagnero@gmail.com) or Twitter (@KellenCavagnero) with any questions, comments, topic suggestions, etc.

In this episode, Kellen speaks with Dr. Mitchell Kronenberg. Mitch is the chief scientific officer of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, an adjunct professor at UC San Diego, and the co-director of a collaborative effort between the La Jolla Institute and UC San Diego called the Program in Immunology. Mitch and Kellen talk about unconventional T cells, autoimmunity, barrier immunity, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, and the future of immunology. They also discuss Mitch's philosophies related to science, mentorship, and life. Recent Kronenberg lab paper with intravital microscopy: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35905286/ Kronenberg lab website: https://www.lji.org/labs/kronenberg/ Mitch's Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitchell_Kronenberg Correction: When Kellen mentioned the published CAR T trial in human autoimmunity, he misspoke and said multiple sclerosis (MS) but the trial he was referring to was in patients with lupus. That said, published preclinical data suggests CAR T therapy may also work in MS patients. CAR T cell therapy in patients with lupus: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36109639/ CAR T cell therapy in MS mouse model: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36206355/ Thank you to our sponsors, NCI & CCMI! Please take a few minutes to write us a review wherever you listened to this podcast—it will help us communicate great science. Finally, we would love to hear from you. Please send any questions or comments to @KellenCavagnero on Twitter.

In this episode, Kellen speaks with Dr. Amir Zarrinpar. Amir is a board-certified gastroenterologist and an assistant professor at UC San Diego in the department of medicine. He completed his undergrad at Harvard, M.D. and Ph.D. at UCSD, and postdoc at the Salk Institute in Satchin Panda's lab. In this conversation, Amir and Kellen talk about diabetes and obesity, time-restricted feeding, and engineered native bacteria—highlighting the Zarrinpar lab's recent paper published in the journal Cell. Kellen and Amir also dig into Amir's philosophies related to science, mentorship, and life. Live bacterial therapeutics paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35931082/ Zarrinpar Lab website: https://zarrinparlab.org/ Thank you to our sponsors, NCI & CCMI! Please take a few minutes to write us a review wherever you listened to this podcast—it will help us communicate great science. Finally, we would love to hear from you. Please send any questions or comments to @KellenCavagnero on Twitter.

In this episode, Kellen speaks with Dr. David Gonzalez. David is an associate professor at UC San Diego in the pharmacology department of the school of medicine and the Skaggs school of pharmacy. He's also the founder and director of the UCSD collaborative center for multiplexed proteomics. The Gonzalez lab researches host-microbe interactions and specializes in proteomics approaches. Kellen and David talk about David's inspirational journey to becoming a principal investigator. They also discuss proteomics, mentorship, and two of the Gonzalez lab's recent publications related to inflammatory bowel disease (linked below). IBD proteomics papers: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35999575/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35087228/ Gonzalez lab website: https://www.gonzalezlab.org/ Thank you to our sponsors, NCI & CCMI. Please take a few minutes to write us a review wherever you listened to this podcast—it will help us communicate great science. Finally, we would love to hear from you. Please send any questions or comments to @KellenCavagnero on Twitter.

In this episode, Kellen interviews Dr. Victor Nizet, a distinguished professor of pediatrics and pharmaceutical sciences at UCSD and the vice chair of basic research in the department of pediatrics at UCSD. Kellen and Victor discuss one of the Nizet lab's recent publications (led by Josh Sun, Pharm.D. Ph.D.) identifying novel treatment strategies for Staph aureus-induced sepsis. Kellen and Victor also talk about Victor's career path and scientific philosophies. S. aureus-induced sepsis paper: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9121309/ Nizet lab website: http://nizetlab.ucsd.edu/ Victor's Twitter handle: @victornizet Thank you to our sponsors, NCI & CCMI! Please take a few minutes to write us a review wherever you listened to this podcast—it will help us communicate great science. Finally, we would love to hear from you. Please send any questions or comments to @KellenCavagnero on Twitter.

In this episode, Kellen sits down for a conversation with Richard Daneman, an associate professor of neurosciences and pharmacology at UCSD. Kellen and Rich discuss the Daneman lab's recent paper identifying a novel role of fibroblasts in the central nervous system as well as Rich's philosophies about science and mentorship. CNS fibroblast paper: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7877789/ Daneman website: https://www.danemanlab.com/ Thank you to our sponsors, NCI & CCMI! Please take a few minutes to write us a review wherever you listened to this podcast—it will help us spread science. Finally, we would love to hear from you! Please send any questions or comments to @KellenCavagnero on Twitter.

In this episode, Kellen is joined by his thesis advisor Dr. Richard Gallo, a Distinguished Professor and the Founding Chairman of the Department of Dermatology at the University of California, San Diego. Kellen and Rich discuss two recent publications from the Gallo lab related to the host defense process “reactive adipogenesis” and also talk about Rich's background, advice for trainees, and more. Acne paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35171653/ Skin-gut paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34720087/ Thank you to our sponsors, NCI & CCMI. Please take a few minutes to write us a review wherever you listened to this podcast—it will help us spread science! As always, please send any questions or comments to @KellenCavagnero on Twitter.

Omental adipose tissue has been considered an important component of host defense since at least 1906 when it was deemed “the policeman of the abdomen”. The precise mechanisms underlying omental host defense, however, remain elusive. Here, Kellen discusses a recent publication investigating how omental host defense works. The report titled “Stromal cells covering omental fat-associated lymphoid clusters trigger formation of neutrophil aggregates to capture peritoneal contaminants” was written by Lucy Helen Jackson-Jones et al. and published in Immunity April 2020. Paper: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7156918/ Commentary: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32294403/ Thank you to our new sponsors, NCI & CCMI! Please take a few minutes to write us a review wherever you listened to this podcast—it will help us spread science! As always, please send any questions or comments to @KellenCavagnero on Twitter.

This is a special episode of Inflammatory Content as it is our first episode with a guest! Dr. Alan O'Neill, Ph.D. joins Kellen to discuss his work on microbiome therapeutics—highlighting his recent report in eLife (link below)—as well as his overall scientific journey. Dr. O'Neill's recent publication (open access): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8592530/ Dr. O'Neill graciously offered to provide his personal email (aloneill@health.ucsd.edu) to anyone wanting to get in contact with him. Please take a few minutes to write us a review wherever you listened to this podcast—it will help us spread science! As always, send any questions or comments to inflammatory.content.w.kc@gmail.com or @KellenCavagnero on Twitter.

Getting physically injured is no fun—it can often take long periods of time to recover. What if we could accelerate the wound healing process? Here, Kellen dissects an original article, titled “The commensal skin microbiota triggers type I IFN-dependent innate repair responses in injured skin”, that reveals mechanisms underlying skin injury and identifies novel therapeutic approaches to speed up healing. The report was written by Jeremy Di Domizio et al. and was published in Nature Immunology in July of 2020. Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-020-0721-6 Commentary: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-020-0755-9?proof=t Please take a few minutes to write us a review on iTunes -- it will help us spread science! And please send any questions and comments to inflammatory.content.w.kc@gmail.com or interact with Kellen on Twitter @KellenCavagnero

Cutting-edge approaches to combat tumor development involve transplantation of anti-tumor T cells and natural killer cells. Natural killer (NK) cells belong to a greater family of innate lymphoid cells which includes the more recently described group 1, 2, and 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). Unlike NK and T cells, the role of non-NK ILCs in tumor immunity remains unclear. In this episode, Kellen highlights a 2020 report in Nature describing the role of ILC2s in pancreatic cancer. The article was written by John Alec Moral and colleagues and is titled “ILC2s amplify PD-1 blockade by activating tissue-specific cancer immunity”. Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41422-020-0330-9 Review: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30209347/ Please take a few minutes to write us a review on iTunes -- it will help us spread science! And please send any questions and comments to inflammatory.content.w.kc@gmail.com or interact with Kellen on Twitter @KellenCavagnero

Fragile X syndrome is a genetic disorder and the leading cause of intellectual disability and autism. There is no treatment. In this episode, Kellen discusses recent gene therapy advances for treating Fragile X syndrome. The article highlighted in this episode was written by X. Shawn Liu and colleagues from Rudolf Jaenisch’s lab at the Whitehead Institute and is titled “Rescue of Fragile X Syndrome Neurons by DNA Methylation Editing of the FMR1 Gene”. Paper: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6375087/ Please take a few minutes to write us a review on iTunes -- it will help us spread science! And please send any questions and comments to inflammatory.content.w.kc@gmail.com or interact with him on Twitter @KellenCavagnero

Medical systems around the world need our help with COVID19. After sharing an important PSA, Kellen dives into the topic of unconventional T cells. These novel immune subsets have unique functions with great therapeutic potential. In this episode, a seminal paper by Michael Crowther and colleagues is discussed. It’s titled, “Genome-wide CRISPR–Cas9 screening reveals ubiquitous T cell cancer targeting via the monomorphic MHC class I-related protein MR1”. Paper: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31959982 Review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30397170 Please take a few minutes to write us a review on iTunes -- it will help us spread science! And please send any questions and comments to inflammatory.content.w.kc@gmail.com or interact with him on Twitter @KellenCavagnero

Antibiotic resistance is an enormous public health problem. The prevalence of superbugs is increasing over time, whereas the number of drugs available to treat these microbes is not. Bacterial communities called biofilms harbor strains of bacteria that persist in the face of antibiotic therapy. Thus, in order to tackle the problem of antibiotic resistance, we must better understand biofilms. In this episode, Kellen covers a recent report on this topic by Fransisco Diaz-Pascual and colleagues titled, “Breakdown of Vibrio cholerae biofilm architecture induced by antibiotics disrupts community barrier function”. Paper: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31659297 Review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31295420 Please take a few minutes to write us a review on iTunes -- it will help us spread science! And please send any questions and comments to inflammatory.content.w.kc@gmail.com or interact with him on Twitter @KellenCavagnero

Engineering bacteria to kill cancer cells… Sounds like science fiction, right? Well, it’s actually all science, no fiction! Sreyan Chowdhury and colleagues from Tal Danino’s lab at Columbia University describe this novel therapeutic approach in their recent Nature Medicine publication, “Programmable bacteria induce durable tumor regression and systemic antitumor immunity”. Paper: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6688650/ Review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6558487/ Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnpIIZrjMtM&t=18s Please take a few minutes to write us a review on iTunes -- it will help us spread science! And please send any questions and comments to inflammatory.content.w.kc@gmail.com or interact with him on Twitter @KellenCavagnero

In this episode, Kellen covers a topic near and dear to his heart – group two innate lymphoid cells, or ILC2s. Specifically, Kellen discusses the original article titled “Neutrophils restrain allergic airway inflammation by limiting ILC2 function and monocyte–dendritic cell antigen presentation”, which was published in the journal Science Immunology in November 2019 by Dhiren Patel and colleagues. Paper: https://immunology.sciencemag.org/content/4/41/eaax7006/tab-pdf Review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5614509/ (shameless self-promo) Please take a few minutes to write us a review on iTunes -- it will help us spread science! And please send any questions and comments to inflammatory.content.w.kc@gmail.com or interact with him on Twitter @KellenCavagnero

When most people think of viruses, they usually think of the negative aspect of viruses –- agents of infectious disease. We, however, are not most people! Not only are viruses useful biotechnological tools, but they are also capable of promoting health outcomes in disease models. In this episode, Kellen covers a report released in December 2019 in Nature Immunology by Lei Liu, Tao Gong, and colleagues titled “Commensal viruses maintain intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes via noncanonical RIG-I signaling”. Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-019-0513-z Review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3140792/ Please take a few minutes to write us a review on iTunes -- it will help us spread science! And please send any questions and comments to inflammatory.content.w.kc@gmail.com or interact with him on Twitter @KellenCavagnero

Plants are a great source of fiber and micronutrients, which makes them an important component of a heathy diet. However, it was recently shown that there is another aspect of plants that allows them to contribute to well-being –- exosomes. In this episode, Kellen reviews a paper published in 2018 in Cell Host & Microbe by Yun Teng and colleagues titled “Plant-Derived Exosomal MicroRNAs Shape the Gut Microbiota”. Paper: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6746408/ Please take a few minutes to write us a review on iTunes –- it will help us spread science! And please send any questions and comments to inflammatory.content.w.kc@gmail.com or interact with him on Twitter @KellenCavagnero

Brief introduction of what this podcast will entail and the reason behind its creation. Please take a few minutes to write us a review on iTunes -– it will help us spread science! And please send any questions and comments to inflammatory.content.w.kc@gmail.com or interact with him on Twitter @KellenCavagnero