Blog Topic: Research
How Flow Cytometry Powers Cancer Immunotherapy Research
In this blog, we discuss how flow cytometry is used to support cancer immunotherapy research, from characterizing immune cell populations to understanding treatment responses.
- Apr 30, 2026
- 6 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Let Sleeping Cells Lie: How Immune Cells Influence Metastatic Dormancy
In this blog, we discuss how flow cytometry was used to examine metastatic dormancy, revealing a new role for immune cells in regulating this process.
- Mar 25, 2026
- 4 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Could Mindfulness De-Stress Your Immune System?
In this blog, we discuss the effect of stress on the immune system and whether mindfulness has scientific merit in counteracting its influence.
- Dec 18, 2025
- 4 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
The Brain: A Bodyguard against Infection
In this blog, we discuss the role of the brain in anticipating infection, priming the immune system, and avoiding the spread of sickness.
- Dec 11, 2025
- 4 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
ADP-Ribosylation — A PARful Regulator of the Cell
In this blog, we explore the intricate role of ADP-ribosylation in health and disease.
- Nov 27, 2025
- 4 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Cell Cannibalism: An Appetite for Cancer?
For this Halloween blog, we’re taking a taste of something slightly different: cell cannibalism.
- Oct 24, 2025
- 3 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Franken-Swine: World’s First Pig-to-Human Lung Transplantation
In this blog, we discuss the realities of pig-to-human lung transplantation.
- Oct 07, 2025
- 3 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Could Exercising Reduce Your Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease?
In this blog, we discuss the impact of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) on the risk of dementia and AD.
- Sep 24, 2025
- 4 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Can Gut Microbiota Predict Successful Racehorses?
In this blog, we discuss a recent paper investigating how the gut microbiota of foals in the first few months of life predicts their athletic performance and risk of disease in later life.
- Jul 17, 2025
- 3 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Is the Future of CAR T-Cell Therapy Off-the-Shelf? Genetic Engineering Could Be the Answer
In this blog, we discuss how CAR T cell-therapy could be used to treat autoimmune disease.
- Jun 30, 2025
- 5 min read
- Bio-Rad
Bringing the Fight to Motor Neuron Disease: Selectively Treating Diseased Cells
In this blog, we discuss a new approach to selectively targeting diseased cells in motor neuron disease.
- Jun 13, 2025
- 4 min read
- Bio-Rad
Understanding Aging: Can Neural Stem Cell Activation Slow the Aging Process?
In this blog, we explore the potential of neural stem cells to rejuvenate brain function and ameliorate disease.
- May 16, 2025
- 4 min read
- Bio-Rad
The Importance of Sleep for the Immune System
In this blog, we delve into the specific effects of sleep on the immune response.
- May 08, 2025
- 4 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
The Role of Regulatory T Cells in the Fight against Lung Cancer
In this blog, we discuss a recent paper studying the effect of depleting Tregs in lung cancer treatment.
- Apr 23, 2025
- 5 min read
- Bio-Rad
Bispecific Antibodies: A New-Age Cancer Immunotherapy to Battle Solid Tumors
In this blog, we discuss how bsAbs are gaining traction as a novel treatment strategy for NSCLC and showing great promise in combination therapy in clinical trials.
- Feb 21, 2025
- 4 min read
- Bio-Rad
Could Salmonella Be Our Unlikely Ally in the Fight against Cancer?
In this blog, we discuss recent advances in bacterial cancer therapy (BCT).
- Jan 31, 2025
- 4 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Man’s Stressed Friend: How Human Stress Affects Dogs
In this blog, we discuss a recent paper by Parr-Cortes et al. (2024) which investigates how human stress affects the emotional state of dogs.
- Jan 16, 2025
- 4 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
No Smoke without Fire: The Blazing Effects of Smoking on the Immune System
In this blog, we discuss a new study highlighting the negative impact of smoking on the immune system.
- Dec 27, 2024
- 3 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Insights From Immunologists: Professor Hugh Perry
In this blog, we speak to Professor Hugh Perry, who collaborated with Siamon to advance our understanding of macrophages in the brain, about his career journey in neuroimmunology.
- Dec 06, 2024
- 5 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Heart to Heart: Could Pig-to-Human Heart Transplants Become a Reality?
In this blog, we discuss the use of genetically engineered pigs for heart xenotransplantation.
- Oct 10, 2024
- 4 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Insights From Immunologists: Professor Hsi-Hsien Lin
In this blog, we speak to Professor Hsi-Hsien Lin, who worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Siamon’s lab, about his career to date.
- Sep 26, 2024
- 2 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Donanemab: A New Hope in the Fight Against Alzheimer’s Disease
In this blog, we discuss the approval of donanemab, a monoclonal antibody designed to target and clear amyloid plaques in the brain, for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
- Sep 18, 2024
- 3 min read
- Bio-Rad
Tumor Patrol: Dendritic Cells in Anti-Tumor Immunity
In this blog, we discuss new insights about how DCs control immune responses in the tumor microenvironment and the implications for immunotherapy.
- Aug 27, 2024
- 4 min read
- Sindhu Nair, PhD
Tipping the Balance: Could ILCs Be Used for Cancer Immunotherapy?
In this blog, we discuss the role of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) in cancer and their potential as therapeutic targets.
- Jul 12, 2024
- 5 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Insights From Immunologists: Professor Alan Ezekowitz
We spoke to Professor Alan Ezekowitz, who undertook his doctoral studies in Siamon’s lab, about his diverse scientific career.
- Jul 03, 2024
- 3 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Mind Control: Can Your Brain Control How Sick You Get?
In this blog, we discuss some of the key findings implicating the brain as a master manipulator of the immune system and disease states.
- May 29, 2024
- 5 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Pitch Purrfect: How Do Cats Produce Purring Vocalizations?
In this blog, we discuss a recent paper by Herbst et al. (2023) in which they shine a new light on the mechanisms that drive purring in cats.
- May 14, 2024
- 3 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Insights From Immunologists: Professor Jon Austyn
We spoke to Professor Jon Austyn, Siamon’s first graduate student who carried out the original research identifying F4/80, about his remarkable scientific career.
- Apr 20, 2024
- 5 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Tiny Gut Microbes Boost the Immune System to Fight against Cancer
In this blog, we will delve into how the microorganisms residing in our intestines can impact the anti-tumor response triggered by immune checkpoint blockade therapy.
- Apr 08, 2024
- 4 min read
- Tyron Chang, PhD
Good TIMEs: Using the Tumor Microenvironment to Predict Response to Treatment
In this blog, we discuss a recent study by Misetic et al. (2023) in which they investigated the mechanisms behind the immune-regulatory role of the TIME and how components of the TIME could be used as biomarkers to predict response to immunotherapy.
- Mar 21, 2024
- 4 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Monoclonal Antibodies for the Treatment of Endometrial Cancer
In this blog, we discuss the recent approval of dostarlimab (Jemperli), a PD-1 inhibitor, in combination with chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for endometrial cancer.
- Feb 27, 2024
- 4 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Can Designer Pigs Improve Xenotransplantation?
In this blog, we will discuss recent advances in the development of transplant-ready pig kidneys as a source of lifesaving organs for ESRD patients.
- Jan 25, 2024
- 5 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
The Past, the Present, and the Future of Immunoglobulin M
In this blog, we discuss a recent discovery showing that the protein CD5L is associated with immunoglobulin M in the circulation.
- Jan 11, 2024
- 5 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Can Exercise Boost Anticancer Immunity?
In this blog, we discuss some of the research investigating the beneficial effects of exercise on anticancer immunity.
- Jan 04, 2024
- 5 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
No Guts, No Glory: Innovative Treatments for Crohn’s Disease
In this blog, we will discuss the different methods utilized to treat Crohn's disease, including the more commonly used biologics and the newly approved Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, upadacitinib.
- Nov 10, 2023
- 6 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Siamon Gordon: The Father of F4/80
In this blog Siamon Gordon tells us about his life and career, with an impressive scientific pedigree and immense contributions to macrophage research over the past 50 years
- Aug 25, 2023
- 7 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
The TLR7/IRF-5 Axis in HIV: A Matter of Life and Cell Death?
In this blog, we discuss a recent study by Carmona-Pérez et al., in which they investigate the role of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7/interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF-5) axis in the predisposition of CD4 T cells to apoptosis during HIV infection.
- Aug 16, 2023
- 5 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Go Pig or Go Home: Promising Vaccine Developed Against African Swine Fever
In this blog, we explore the research behind a new potential vaccine against African Swine Fever.
- May 30, 2023
- 3 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Feline Good: FMT Reduces Digestive Problems in Cats
In this blog, we discuss the results and clinical implications of this new study investigating the benefits of FMT in cats.
- Apr 11, 2023
- 3 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD
Unlocking the Secrets of Neuroimmunology: Connecting What Belongs Together
In this blog, Patrick Penndorf writes about neuroimmunology, the connection between neuroscience and immunology research. This blog was awarded joint 2nd place in the 2022 Bio-Rad Science Writing Competition.
- Mar 16, 2023
- 5 min read
- Patrick Penndorf
It Takes a Village: How a Dysfunctional Cellular Community Could Raise a Melanoma
2022 Bio-Rad Science Writing Competition winning article. Katie Lee uses an “it takes a village” analogy to explain how it is the combination of multiple factors that tips the balance toward melanoma formation.
- Feb 08, 2023
- 5 min read
- Katie Lee
Dogs: Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing?
This blog takes a look at a study by Bergström et al. that examined the DNA from ancient wolves to help answer the origins of dogs from wolf populations.
- Dec 06, 2022
- 5 min read
- Bio-Rad
Could Genetically-Modified Pigs Be the Future of Xenotransplantation?
This blog discusses xenotransplantation, the groundbreaking experimental procedure, where a man with end stage heart failure received a donor heart from a genetically-modified pig.
- Mar 10, 2022
- 3 min read
- Kimberley Bryon-Dodd, PhD
Genetically Engineered Pigs to Fight Disease
In this blog, we discuss Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRSS)-resistant pigs and how this could help alleviate the economic burden of porcine disease.
- Jan 07, 2022
- 3 min read
- Bio-Rad
Gamma Delta T cells: The Unsung Heroes of Immunology
This blog was awarded 3rd place in the 2021 Bio-Rad Science Writing Competition.
- Aug 17, 2021
- 4 min read
- Katelyn O’Neill
Thoughts of Mice: Understanding the Role Serotonin Plays in Cognitive Flexibility
This blog was awarded 2nd place in the 2021 Bio-Rad Science Writing Competition.
- Aug 12, 2021
- 5 min read
- Ashlea Morgan
Macrophages May Explain Tuberculosis Tropism
In this blog, we discuss new research that reveals how M. bovis manipulates bovine, but not human, macrophage defenses to cause disease, and helps explain why tuberculosis bacteria have more luck in separate hosts.
- Aug 03, 2021
- 4 min read
- Katie Roberts, PhD
What Causes Alzheimer’s Disease?
In this guest blog, we summarize some of the various hypotheses that have been proposed over the years for the development of Alzheimer's diseases, and the more recent idea that gut microbiota may play a role in disease development.
- Jul 01, 2021
- 6 min read
- Marta González Prieto, PhD
The Buzz Around STING Agonists
This blog gives an overview of the history of the STimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) pathway and highlights why pharmaceutical companies are making a beeline to develop STING agonists.
- Jun 10, 2021
- 4 min read
- Kimberley Bryon-Dodd, PhD
Could an Unconventional Vaccine Program Prove a Roaring Success?
This blog highlights the threat that canine distemper virus poses to the Amur tiger and discusses whether vaccinating these tigers could help protect them from extinction.
- May 19, 2021
- 5 min read
- Kimberley Bryon-Dodd, PhD
A Balancing AKT: the E17K Hotspot Mutation and How It Defines Cancer
AKT is an extremely important kinase in human health, playing an intricate role in coordinating fundamental signaling pathways. This blog discusses a “hotspot” mutation, called E17K, that can cause constant AKT activation and wreak havoc on cell homeostasis.
- Apr 27, 2021
- 4 min read
- Katie Roberts, PhD
Unlocking the Mechanism of a Deadly Infection in Pigs
This blog discusses a paper published in Cell Host and Microbe by Bruggisser et al. (2020) that shows that CD31 is crucial for C. perfringens pathogenesis in pigs.
- Mar 23, 2021
- 4 min read
- Kimberley Bryon-Dodd, PhD
Looking Beneath the Surface: Viral Clearance by Anti-Nucleoproteins
This guest blog examines a paper published by Caddy et al. (2020) in EMBO Journal that sheds new light on anti-nucleoprotein antibodies and clearance of viral infections that could have important implications for vaccine design.
- Feb 09, 2021
- 4 min read
- Danielle Germundson
Slash the Tires Instead to Slow Down Prostate Cancer
This article was awarded 3rd place in the 2020 Bio-Rad Science Writing Competition.
- Aug 19, 2020
- 4 min read
- Varadha Balaji Venkadakrishnan
Navigating the Deadly Cytokine Storm
Sometimes our immune systems launch an excessive, disproportionate response to a real infection, called a "cytokine storm". This blog looks at cytokine storms and the role they may play in COVID-19 pathogenesis.
- May 14, 2020
- 6 min read
- Katie Roberts, PhD
The Importance of Phosphorylation Events in Cancer
This blog discusses phosphorylation, a common regulator of signal transduction pathways and the role of inappropriate phosphorylation events in cancer.
- Oct 11, 2019
- 4 min read
- Kimberley Bryon-Dodd, PhD
Pig Brains and the Gray Matter of Life and Death
This blog examines new findings that suggest the brain is far more resilient than we have assumed, and that challenge the idea that some functions are irreversibly lost after death.
- May 14, 2019
- 4 min read
- Katie Roberts, PhD
Tumors Sweet Success due to Macrophage Polarization
This blog discusses a recent study by Bohn et al. (2018) that highlights a mechanism that melanoma utilizes to subvert the immune response.
- Apr 01, 2019
- 4 min read
- Kimberley Bryon-Dodd, PhD
Manifestation of Ghosts Exacerbates Asthma
Krishnamoorthy et al. (2018) have identified enucleated neutrophil cell bodies, known as ‘ghosts’, as driving Th17 cell inflammation in severe asthma.
- Oct 29, 2018
- 4 min read
- Kimberley Bryon-Dodd, PhD
Can Medicine Trust Your Gut Organoids?
This blog focuses on gastrointestinal organoids and their role in advancing cancer research and therapy.
- Sep 17, 2018
- 4 min read
- Kimberley Bryon-Dodd, PhD
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Side of the Gut Microbiome
This blog takes a look at how gut microbiota may play a role in anti-tumor immune responses.
- Jul 14, 2018
- 2 min read
- Kimberley Bryon-Dodd, PhD
Pigging up the Pace of Influenza A Vaccine Development
Learn more about a groundbreaking discovery in Babraham pigs that has significantly improved its usefulness as an immunological model.
- Jun 27, 2018
- 3 min read
- Kimberley Bryon-Dodd, PhD
Checkmate: Beating Cancer through the PD-1 Pathway
This blog discusses the PD-1 (programmed cell death-1) pathway and two licensed immunotherapy drugs that target it, pembrolizumab and nivolumab.
- Jun 19, 2018
- 3 min read
- Kimberley Bryon-Dodd, PhD
Th2A Cells — the Latest T Helper Cell Subset and its Role in Allergy
Th2A cells are a recently identified subset of T helper cells type 2 (Th2). This blog looks at the role of Th2A cells in allergy.
- May 16, 2018
- 2 min read
- Bio-Rad
Inking the Immune System: How Macrophages Make Tattoos Last
Baranska et al. (2018) identify macrophage dynamics as being key to tattoos lasting. This blog examines why tattoos are so difficult to remove.
- Apr 04, 2018
- 3 min read
- Kimberley Bryon-Dodd, PhD
How good bacteria protect us from pathogenic infection
This blog describes studies demonstrating the beneficial role of commensal bacteria in treating microbial infections and antibiotic resistance.
- Jul 10, 2017
- 3 min read
- Annalise Barnette, PhD
How to identify major immune cell types by their CD marker expression
Learn how a new tool from Bio-Rad simplifies knowing what markers to use to identify certain immune cell types.
- May 19, 2017
- 1 min read
- Bio-Rad
Macrophages, obesity and insulin resistance
This blog post describes the mechanisms by which macrophages induce insulin resistance in the obese state.
- Mar 31, 2017
- 2 min read
- Annalise Barnette, PhD
What do monocytes have to do with the heart?
This post describes the role of monocytes in heart disease and whether monocyte infiltration into the heart exacerbates disease or aids in its repair.
- Mar 02, 2017
- 1 min read
- Annalise Barnette, PhD
When ubiquitination goes bad, knock it out for effective cancer therapy
This blog post highlights the key ubiquitin E3 ligases currently considered molecular drug targets.
- Jul 08, 2016
- 5 min read
- Annalise Barnette, PhD
The oldest known naturally occurring cancer is transmitted between dogs
Learn more about the biology of the transmissible canine cancer CTVT and why it is a biological curiosity of significant magnitude in this blog post.
- Jun 13, 2016
- 3 min read
- Annalise Barnette, PhD
Monocyte-based cell therapy for treating diseases
This blog post discusses recent pre-clinical studies that suggest monocytes could be applied in a related manner to the treatment of diseases.
- May 25, 2016
- 2 min read
- Annalise Barnette, PhD
Inducing macrophages that work against rather than for cancer
Within the immune response to cancer macrophages present both a problem and solution. This post describes how they can assist with tumor clearance.
- Apr 15, 2016
- 2 min read
- Annalise Barnette, PhD
The science of keeping pigs healthy
This blog post highlights novel gene-editing strategies to protect pigs against dangerous pathogens.
- Apr 03, 2016
- 2 min read
- Annalise Barnette, PhD
GATA transcription factors and their role in cancer diagnosis and prognosis
The GATA family of transcription factors is emerging as key players in establishing new biomarkers for rapid and accurate detection of cancer. Find out more...
- Feb 15, 2016
- 3 min read
- Annalise Barnette, PhD
Immunological memory is no longer a unique trait of adaptive immune cells
The new finding of trained immunity challenges the basic tenets of immunology, blurring the line that separates innate and adaptive immunity.
- Jan 19, 2016
- 2 min read
- Annalise Barnette, PhD
Inheriting mutant tumor suppressor genes increases your risk for cancer
This post describes how mutations in proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes account for tumorigenesis.
- Jul 29, 2015
- 2 min read
- Bio-Rad
Four virus serotypes…One Dengue vaccine?
Have a group of researchers really found the key to a cure to the currently incurable Dengue virus? Find out here...
- May 28, 2015
- 2 min read
- Bio-Rad
Bacterial Vampirism Causes Bloodlust in Pathogens
In this blog, we discuss bacterial vampirism, a phenomenon describing how certain pathogens are attracted to human blood.
- Oct 24, 2024
- 4 min read
- Chloe Fenton, PhD