The hottest Immunology Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Health & Wellness Topics

The Missing CHIP

Ground Truths • 8223 implied HN points • 15 Mar 26
🔬 Science Immunology
  1. CHIP (clonal hematopoiesis) is a common, age-related blood stem cell change that meaningfully raises risk for heart disease, blood cancers, clots, and inflammatory problems, with risk depending on clone size and the specific mutated gene.
  2. New research shows CHIP is actionable: drugs like low‑dose colchicine, IL‑1β blockers, inflammasome inhibitors, and other agents can reduce CHIP or its downstream risks, and genetic discoveries point to future prevention strategies.
  3. Testing for CHIP is highly informative but currently limited by high cost, complex deep‑sequencing methods, and slow guideline uptake, so cheaper targeted assays and more clinical programs could enable screening and early prevention for older adults.

Spotlight on the Shingles Vaccine—Again!

Ground Truths • 14172 implied HN points • 22 Jan 26
🔬 Science Immunology
  1. Multiple large natural experiments across countries show shingles vaccination is consistently linked to lower dementia rates, and the newer Shingrix vaccine may offer even greater protection.
  2. Studies tie the vaccine to slower biological aging and shifts in immune and inflammation markers over years, with bigger benefits seen in women, though blood markers of neurodegeneration haven’t changed and the exact mechanism is still unknown.
  3. Other studies suggest cardiovascular benefits too, so getting Shingrix at 50+ may offer broad protection, but more mechanistic research and replications are needed to confirm these effects.

How to Design Antibodies

Asimov Press • 754 implied HN points • 11 Mar 26
🔬 Science Immunology
  1. AI models now let researchers design antibody binders on the computer, greatly reducing the experimental search effort needed to find promising candidates.
  2. There is a practical five-step pipeline — pick a target, prepare or predict its structure, run design tools, filter candidates, and validate in the lab — which uses public tools but typically costs thousands of dollars.
  3. Design success is highly target-dependent and improving affinity, specificity, and drug-like properties remains difficult and costly, but AI makes it realistic to engineer more complex, multi-property binders going forward.

IgG4 Class Switching, Immune Tolerance, and Adverse Event Risk from Repeated mRNA Booster Vaccination

Who is Robert Malone • 12 implied HN points • 22 Mar 26
🔬 Science Immunology
  1. Repeated mRNA boosters can drive a progressive shift toward IgG4 antibodies that keep binding the spike protein but weaken Fc effector functions (like ADCC and complement) and have been linked to higher breakthrough infection risk.
  2. The class switch is driven by IL‑10–rich germinal center signals and becomes encoded in long‑lived memory B cells and plasma cells, so it is durable and not detected by standard total anti‑spike IgG tests.
  3. Because this effect is cumulative and immunologically specific, booster policy and surveillance should be risk‑stratified with longer minimum intervals, pediatric reassessment, and prospective monitoring using IgG subclass assays and targeted safety studies.

The Complex Adaptive Landscape Created by SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines Shows Us Why Evolution Will Not Allow Effective mRNA Vaccines Against mRNA Viruses, Part 1.

Popular Rationalism • 574 implied HN points • 16 Oct 24
🏥 Health Politics Immunology
  1. mRNA vaccines face big challenges because of how fast RNA viruses can change. It's unlikely they'll be able to completely eliminate the virus over time.
  2. These vaccines can push viruses to evolve in ways that make them escape detection and survive better. This means the virus can keep changing and might even become more dangerous.
  3. Natural immunity, from getting the virus instead of a vaccine, can be broader and may help prevent newer variants. This shows how different immune responses can affect how the virus evolves.
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The Exhilirating Movement From Treatment to Cures for Autoimmune Diseases

Ground Truths • 11197 implied HN points • 14 Dec 25
🔬 Science Immunology
  1. Two main cure strategies are emerging: a "hard reset" with engineered immune cells (CAR‑T/CAR‑NK) that deplete disease‑causing B cells and is moving toward off‑the‑shelf, in‑body delivery for one‑shot remissions.
  2. A "soft reset" uses inverse or tolerogenic vaccines and Treg/dendritic‑cell approaches to retrain the immune system to tolerate self‑antigens instead of attacking them.
  3. Advances in cancer immunotherapy (CAR‑T, checkpoint modulation, in‑vivo delivery, gene editing) are accelerating autoimmune cures, but challenges remain with cost, safety (e.g., cytokine release, neurotoxicity, vector risks) and equitable access.

Why your flu shot may work differently than you think

Who is Robert Malone • 14 implied HN points • 21 Mar 26
🔬 Science Immunology
  1. Your first childhood flu exposure permanently shapes how your immune system responds to later vaccines, so repeated shots or similar antigens can make the body recall old answers instead of making updated protection.
  2. As people age their immune systems lose naive cells, germinal center function declines, and chronic inflammation rises, which makes older adults both the most vulnerable to flu and the least likely to mount a strong vaccine response.
  3. Current one-size-fits-all vaccination policy doesn’t account for imprinting, repeat-vaccination effects, or immunosenescence; we need clearer communication and investment in better vaccine platforms and strategies (non-egg production, adjuvants, or immunomodulation).

Going Founder Mode On Cancer

The Century of Biology • 2387 implied HN points • 18 Jan 26
🔬 Science Immunology
  1. A founder‑mode, information‑maximalist approach — exhaustive documentation, frequent advanced diagnostics, and a ladder of personalized treatment options — can enable faster, creative decisions and in this case helped drive the cancer into remission.
  2. Even with money and motivation, practical barriers in hospitals, IRBs, regulators, and the high cost of drug development make access to tissue, cutting‑edge diagnostics, and experimental therapies very hard to obtain and scale.
  3. Emerging platform technologies like single‑cell sequencing, neoantigen vaccines, radioligand therapies, personalized CRISPR and engineered cell therapies make truly individualized cancer care possible, but today they’re expensive and unevenly distributed and will need new regulatory and manufacturing models to become broadly available.

Measles and echo chambers, fresh science, and more

Your Local Epidemiologist • 658 implied HN points • 27 Feb 26
🔬 Science Immunology
  1. Working with Christian faith-based content creators is a practical way to break echo chambers and better inform faith communities about measles and medical evidence.
  2. New scientific studies are notable, including promising progress for a hard-to-treat breast cancer and an intriguing clue found in the brains of superagers.
  3. A dangerous online trend of making cornstarch fireballs is emerging, creating a fresh public-safety and misinformation concern.

Immune Imprinting, Immunosenescence, and the Limits of Universal Seasonal Influenza Vaccination

Who is Robert Malone • 8 implied HN points • 21 Mar 26
🏥 Health Politics Immunology
  1. Childhood immune imprinting and repeated annual vaccination can bias and weaken vaccine-induced protection, especially against influenza A(H3N2). Prior exposures tend to recall outdated immune memory and can suppress the generation of new, strain-specific neutralizing responses.
  2. Age-related immune decline makes standard-dose vaccines less effective in adults aged 65 and older, and while enhanced formulations (high-dose, adjuvanted, recombinant) improve responses, randomized trial evidence on reducing severe outcomes is mixed.
  3. A one-size-fits-all annual vaccination policy is misaligned with this immune heterogeneity, so risk- and platform-stratified strategies, evaluation of next-generation vaccines and immunomodulatory approaches, and clearer public communication about conditional vaccine benefits are warranted.

WHAT YOUR COVID BOOSTER DID TO YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

Who is Robert Malone • 26 implied HN points • 17 Mar 26
🏥 Health & Wellness Immunology
  1. Repeated mRNA COVID boosters shift the antibody response toward IgG4, which can bind the virus but lacks Fc-mediated functions (like ADCC and complement) and is linked to reduced infected-cell clearance and more breakthrough infections.
  2. This IgG4 shift is driven locally in lymph nodes by IL-10, becomes long-lasting because IgG4-producing plasma cells persist, and is amplified by closely spaced boosters and the prolonged lymph-node activity of mRNA-LNP vaccines; children can show the effect after only two doses.
  3. Standard total-IgG tests cannot detect this problem, so clinicians and regulators should measure IgG subclasses, space boosters at least a year, re-evaluate pediatric booster policies, inform patients of the trade-offs, and start targeted surveillance studies.

Weekly Dose of Optimism #181

Not Boring by Packy McCormick • 189 implied HN points • 20 Feb 26
🔬 Science Immunology
  1. Heron Power raised $140M to mass-produce modular, software-defined solid-state transformers that use wide-bandgap semiconductors, can handle DC (so some customers can skip inverters), and aim to modernize and shorten supply bottlenecks in the grid.
  2. A new nasal vaccine protected animals against many respiratory viruses, bacteria, and allergens, suggesting a future seasonal spray or rapid pandemic stopgap; human trials are next to check how long protection lasts and whether it’s safe.
  3. David Silver secured $1B to build AI that learns from its own experience, pushing toward an "Era of Experience" where agents improve by interacting with environments rather than just imitating static data.

Puzzling out elephant longevity

Trevor Klee’s Newsletter • 2014 implied HN points • 07 Dec 25
🔬 Science Immunology
  1. Elephants' low cancer rates and long lives are tied to many non-identical TP53 copies—retrogenes and a reanimated pseudogene—that work together with their immune and DNA-regulatory systems.
  2. Other long-lived animals like bats use different strategies, emphasizing DNA repair and immune modulation along with regulated p53 activity rather than just more cell-suicide signals.
  3. Longevity is multi-factorial and species-specific, so a single explanation (like extra TP53 copies) is incomplete and can't be copied into another species without integrating many other systems.

The Drivers of Age-Related Diseases

Ground Truths • 11154 implied HN points • 08 Jun 25
🏥 Health & Wellness Immunology
  1. Our immune system and inflammation change as we age. This affects our health and can lead to age-related diseases.
  2. New research shows that tracking certain proteins and genetic markers can help predict health issues related to aging. This could help us focus on ways to stay healthier longer.
  3. Lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, and sleep are important for maintaining a strong immune system and reducing inflammation, which can extend our healthy years.

The First Diagnostic Immunome

Ground Truths • 7960 implied HN points • 22 Feb 25
🏥 Health Politics Immunology
  1. Sequencing B and T cell receptors can help diagnose autoimmune diseases. This kind of testing is much faster and could lead to more accurate diagnoses.
  2. Using machine learning and AI makes analyzing the complex data from these receptors easier. The technology can find patterns and help doctors understand patients' conditions better.
  3. In the future, a full immunome could be a standard test to check how well someone's immune system is working. This could help prevent diseases before they become serious.

Guardians of the Brain

Ground Truths • 9404 implied HN points • 08 Dec 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Immunology
  1. The brain has a vital connection with the immune system, challenging the old belief that the brain is cut off from it. New studies show that brain immune cells can help prevent and treat diseases.
  2. Recent research has discovered ways to program T cells to respond to brain issues, which may aid in treating brain tumors and autoimmune diseases. This could lead to better therapies by specifically targeting brain conditions.
  3. There is a newly understood communication path between the body and brain that controls inflammation and immune responses. Understanding this connection can improve treatments for autoimmune diseases and conditions like Long Covid.

Three interesting studies of genetic variation

De Novo • 99 implied HN points • 04 Feb 26
🔬 Science Immunology
  1. Common genetic variants in meiosis genes change how many crossovers happen, and fewer crossovers raise the risk of embryo aneuploidy; those genetic risks are also tied to a shorter reproductive lifespan (later menarche and earlier menopause).
  2. A measurable fraction of people carry high Epstein–Barr virus DNA in blood, and host immune genetics — especially HLA — largely determine who can’t control persistent EBV, while viral sequence differences had little impact on disease in this large cohort.
  3. When you exclude extrinsic causes of death, intrinsic human lifespan is about 50–55% heritable, meaning genetics explain roughly half the variation in lifespan today, and older lower estimates were driven by higher environmental mortality in past cohorts.

The golden age of vaccine development

The Works in Progress Newsletter • 45 implied HN points • 08 Jan 26
🔬 Science Immunology
  1. Vaccines used to be lucky accidents but are now deliberately designed using detailed knowledge of microbes, cells, and the immune system.
  2. New tools let us build precise vaccines from specific proteins or mRNA, making them safer, easier to optimize, and avoid using whole pathogens.
  3. Faster sequencing, better delivery systems, and improved manufacturing let vaccines be developed and updated in weeks, and continued investment will unlock even more progress.

Well Being: The Truth About Raw Milk

Who is Robert Malone • 17 implied HN points • 31 Jan 26
🏥 Health & Wellness Immunology
  1. Children who drink raw or minimally processed cow’s milk early in life tend to have lower rates of asthma, wheeze, allergic rhinitis, colitis, and atopic sensitization.
  2. This protective pattern is strongest in farm communities and is commonly called the “farm milk effect.”
  3. Peer‑reviewed studies report notable evidence for these associations, and there is more extensive literature exploring the potential health benefits of raw milk.

The Vaccine Revolution Will Now Be Televised

Viruses Must Die • 44 implied HN points • 19 Dec 25
🔬 Science Immunology
  1. Ordinary brewer's yeast can be engineered into food-grade vaccines, and the experiments were reportedly doable on a simple household budget.
  2. This method could decentralize vaccine production so people or local microbreweries could make vaccines, potentially bypassing slow licensing and surviving even severe social disruptions.
  3. The target is viruses like polyomaviruses that cause serious illness (for example painful bladder disease in transplant patients), so edible vaccines could prevent a lot of suffering.

Pregnancy and Immune Modulation

Who is Robert Malone • 7 implied HN points • 18 Feb 26
🔬 Science Immunology
  1. Pregnancy doesn't simply suppress immunity; it systemically recalibrates immune responses via hormones, increasing some defenses and restraining others to allow fetal tolerance.
  2. Vaccines still protect pregnant people, but pregnancy often narrows antibody breadth against new variants and shifts responses toward innate effector mechanisms, so vaccine formulation or timing may deserve dedicated study.
  3. Breast milk provides a personalized mucosal immune layer—mainly secretory IgA—that protects the baby's gut and airways, helps shape the infant microbiome and immune development, and differs depending on whether the mother had infection (IgA) or intramuscular vaccination (IgG).

Universal Repeated mRNA Boosting Was (and is) Bad Policy

Who is Robert Malone • 12 implied HN points • 03 Feb 26
🏥 Health Politics Immunology
  1. Repeated, frequent mRNA boosters push the immune system toward a tolerance-style response (higher IL-10 and IgG4), so antibodies still bind the virus but trigger less inflammation and cell-killing—this helps prevent severe illness but does not reliably stop infection or spread.
  2. A one-size-fits-all policy of universal, frequent boosting was adopted without solid prospective evidence or proper timing studies, producing predictable immune 'signal stacking'; booster strategies should be risk-stratified, experimentally timed, and driven by shared decision-making.
  3. The tolerance-leaning immune shift from repeated boosting could affect responses to other vaccines and infections and might impair anti-tumor immune surveillance in some contexts, so booster spacing and long-term consequences warrant careful study.

What is Vaccine Beer

Viruses Must Die • 35 implied HN points • 24 Dec 25
🔬 Science Immunology
  1. Live brewer’s yeast engineered to make viral proteins can be put into beer and may trigger antibody responses; the authors drank such “vaccine beer” and reported no discernible side effects.
  2. They show you can recreate the necessary plasmids and brew vaccine-containing beer outside a university lab using commercial DNA synthesis and readily available home-lab and brewing supplies, making the approach accessible to homebrewers and small food producers.
  3. They argue food-based vaccines could lower cost and increase access, and that current US law could allow these products to be marketed as GRAS foods so long as no disease-prevention claims are made, while formal medical efficacy testing would remain under regulatory oversight.

The dangers of Andrew Huberman

Trickle-Down Wellness • 216 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Immunology
  1. Andrew Huberman has faced criticism for sharing misinformation regarding sunscreen and flu prevention.
  2. Huberman's avoidance of common health interventions like sunscreen and vaccines while promoting cold plunges and supplements is concerning.
  3. Critics have pointed out multiple inaccuracies in Huberman's claims about immunity, cold, and flu transmission, highlighting the importance of consulting credible experts.

COVID Vax worsens long COVID--only 2% improved, 33% worse off

Who is Robert Malone • 16 implied HN points • 25 Jan 26
🏥 Health & Wellness Immunology
  1. About 29% of people with long COVID reported their symptoms worsened after getting a COVID vaccine at least 90 days after infection, while only about 2% said they clearly improved.
  2. Worsening was linked to receiving the Moderna (mRNA-1273) vaccine and having a persistent cough at the time of vaccination, with no strong ties to age or sex.
  3. The results come from self-reported preprint data with modest effect sizes, so they are preliminary and highlight the need for more research and more individualized vaccination guidance for people with long COVID.