News & Announcements

The Department of Integrative Immunobiology recognized four emerging researchers with the D. Bernard Amos Research Award during the D. Bernard Amos Research Lecture on May 18. First place awards went to graduate student Gillian Horn and postdoc Morgan Parker. Second place awards went to graduate student Jordan Flemming and postdoc Clara Bourgon.

Jose Conejo-Garcia, MD, PhD, is one of the recipients of the 2026 Lotus Award from the Pershing Square Foundation. These awards support pioneering scientists advancing innovative ovarian cancer research across the U.S. Conejo-Garcia's project, "Next-Generation off-the-shelf CAR γδ T cells for ovarian cancer immunotherapy," aims to develop a new, affordable, “off-the-shelf” immune cell therapy that can be prepared in advance and given to many patients without the need to manufacture a custom product for each individual.

Three faculty from the Department of Integrative Immunobiology, Jorn Coers, Mari Shinohara, and David Tobin, have been awarded distinguished professorships by Duke University. They will be honored at the university’s annual distinguished professorship event on May 18.   

New research by Katy Liu, W. Daniel Stamer, and Daniel Saban, published March 9 in the journal Immunity, reveals that a specialized set of immune cells act as the cleanup crew, pointing to a promising new target for therapies to prevent a major cause of blindness.

Researchers have uncovered a set of bacterial survival genes activated only inside TB’s hard‑to‑study granulomas, revealing new clues to how the pathogen endures our immune defenses.

Garnett H. Kelsoe III, D.Sc., the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Immunology, has been elected as a Distinguished Fellow of the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) for 2026.

Two faculty in the Duke University School of Medicine have been elected as fellows of the American Academy of Microbiology. Ed Miao, MD, PhD, Duke Health Distinguished Professor of Integrative Immunobiology, and Emily Derbyshire, PhD, Eads Family Professor of Chemistry, who has a secondary appointment in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, are among 63 new fellows elected for 2026.

The Road Ahead As 2025 draws to a close, I want to warmly wish everyone a joyful holiday season and a prosperous New Year.

Duke University and Penn State receive $3.2 million from NIH to bioprint a breathing lung model for flu-bacteria research and vaccine breakthroughs.

Cryptococcus, a deadly fungus known for causing severe brain infections in people with weakened immune systems may be sneakier than scientists realized, according to a Duke University School of Medicine study led by Mari Shinohara, PhD, senior study author and professor in the Department of Integrative Immunobiology.