Inflammatory Content is a podcast about immunology and biomedical sciences more broadly. UC San Diego immunologist Dr. Kellen Cavagnero PhD reviews the latest high-impact original articles and discusses all things science with leading researchers in the field. Inflammatory Content has been featured in Nature and received sponsorship from the NIH.
In this episode of Inflammatory Content, Dr. Kellen Cavagnero explores the debilitating skin disease hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and takes a deep dive into a recent Immunity paper that comprehensively examines the role of tertiary lymphoid structures in HS pathogenesis. HS has long defied simple classification, with prevailing disease models emphasizing hair follicle dysfunction, aberrant wound…
In this episode of Inflammatory Content, Dr. Kellen Cavagnero breaks down a new Nature paper showing that a subset of skin neutrophils doesn’t just fight bacteria—they also build extracellular matrix (ECM). After injury, these neutrophils rapidly assemble rings of ECM around the wound that strengthen the barrier and limit bacterial entry. This program depends on TGF-β signaling within neutrophils;…
In this episode of Inflammatory Content, Dr. Kellen Cavagnero dives into a landmark 2024 Nature study by Thierry Nordman and colleagues, titled “Spatial proteomics identifies JAKi as treatment for a lethal skin disease.” This cutting-edge research changes the game for patients suffering from toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN)—a devastating cutaneous adverse drug reaction with limited treatment…
In this episode, Dr. Kellen Cavagnero is joined by Dr. Dequina Nicholas. Dr. Nicholas is an Assistant Professor at the University of California Irvine in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. Her laboratory studies endocrine diseases, including type 2 diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome. Specifically, her group investigates the intersection of the nutrient environment, the…
Today we’re going to do a journal club, but it will not be your run of the mill journal club. Everyone who knows me knows I am always searching for the latest technology that can increase my efficiency. Lately, I have been especially attuned to the newest developments in artificial intelligence.Well, I recently discovered a new AI tool by Google called NotebookLM that creates audio overviews of…
One of the most common questions I get from undergraduate and graduate students is: How do I get a Ph.D. fellowship? During my Ph.D., I was fortunate to be awarded two fellowships, and I’ve received two more as a postdoc. In this solo episode, I provide an overview of the who, what, where, when, why, and how of Ph.D. fellowship applications, with the goal of helping you secure a fellowship to…
In this episode, Kellen is joined by Dr. Aaron Oom, a Postdoctoral Scholar in the lab of Dr. Mark Mulligan at NYU Langone Health. Aaron is an expert in virology and immunology. He completed his Ph.D. in the lab of Dr. John Guatelli’s at UC San Diego. Aaron has made significant contributions to our understanding of viruses including HIV, Zika, and Dengue. Now, as a Postdoctoral Scholar in the…
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified thousands of disease-associated genetic variants. Many of these variants lie in non-coding regions of the genome, making interpretation of GWAS difficult and leading to poor translation into therapeutics. In this episode, Kellen reviews an exciting original article published in Nature in June 2024 titled, “A disease-associated gene desert…
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…
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…