John Lukens
@lukensjohnr.bsky.social
Neuroimmunologist studying MS, autism, Alzheimer's disease, and brain injury at the University of Virginia. Father of two. Fan of Philly sports and US soccer.
www.lukenslab.com
www.lukenslab.com
Peripheral cancer attenuates amyloid pathology in Alzheimer’s disease via cystatin-c activation of TREM2: @cellpress.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
January 22, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Peripheral cancer attenuates amyloid pathology in Alzheimer’s disease via cystatin-c activation of TREM2: @cellpress.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Ageing promotes microglial accumulation of slow-degrading synaptic proteins @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
January 21, 2026 at 4:32 PM
Ageing promotes microglial accumulation of slow-degrading synaptic proteins @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Diversity and immune dynamics of choroid plexus macrophages are shaped by distinct developmental origins
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
January 21, 2026 at 2:07 PM
Diversity and immune dynamics of choroid plexus macrophages are shaped by distinct developmental origins
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Commensal-derived trehalose monocorynomycolate triggers γδ T cell-driven protective ocular barrier immunity: Immunity www.cell.com/immunity/ful... @cp-immunity.bsky.social
January 19, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Commensal-derived trehalose monocorynomycolate triggers γδ T cell-driven protective ocular barrier immunity: Immunity www.cell.com/immunity/ful... @cp-immunity.bsky.social
Nanoparticles hijack calvarial immune cells for CNS drug delivery and stroke therapy @cellpress.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
January 16, 2026 at 4:34 PM
Nanoparticles hijack calvarial immune cells for CNS drug delivery and stroke therapy @cellpress.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
A GDF-15–GFRAL axis controls autoimmune T cell responses during neuroinflammation www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A GDF-15–GFRAL axis controls autoimmune T cell responses during neuroinflammation - Nature Immunology
Here the authors show that endogenous or therapeutically delivered GDF-15 activates brainstem neurons that trigger splenic β-adrenergic signaling. This, in turn, suppresses autoreactive T cells and re...
www.nature.com
January 15, 2026 at 1:59 PM
A GDF-15–GFRAL axis controls autoimmune T cell responses during neuroinflammation www.nature.com/articles/s41...
3 papers in Cell @cellpress.bsky.social today exploring the mechanistic connection between Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis #MultipleSclerosis
cell.com/cell/fulltex...
cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
cell.com/cell/fulltex...
cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
January 13, 2026 at 4:25 PM
3 papers in Cell @cellpress.bsky.social today exploring the mechanistic connection between Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis #MultipleSclerosis
cell.com/cell/fulltex...
cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
cell.com/cell/fulltex...
cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
State-specific enhancer landscapes govern microglial plasticity @cp-immunity.bsky.social www.cell.com/immunity/ful...
January 7, 2026 at 5:01 PM
State-specific enhancer landscapes govern microglial plasticity @cp-immunity.bsky.social www.cell.com/immunity/ful...
Spatial transcriptomics reveals effects of maternal immune activation and microbiome depletion
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
January 6, 2026 at 2:32 PM
Spatial transcriptomics reveals effects of maternal immune activation and microbiome depletion
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
TGFβ signaling mediates microglial resilience to spatiotemporally restricted myelin degeneration www.nature.com/articles/s41...
TGFβ signaling mediates microglial resilience to spatiotemporally restricted myelin degeneration - Nature Neuroscience
Zhu et al. find that aging causes region-specific myelin damage in the spinal cord, which is counteracted by enhanced TGFβ signaling in microglia, revealing a protective mechanism for healthy aging.
www.nature.com
January 2, 2026 at 3:24 PM
TGFβ signaling mediates microglial resilience to spatiotemporally restricted myelin degeneration www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Remodeling of skull bone channels regulates immune infiltration into the meninges during neuroinflammation: Immunity www.cell.com/immunity/ful...
Remodeling of skull bone channels regulates immune infiltration into the meninges during neuroinflammation
Skull marrow communicates with the meninges through bone channels, yet their formation
and regulation remain poorly understood. Eme-Scolan et al. show that these channels
undergo active remodeling dur...
www.cell.com
December 29, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Remodeling of skull bone channels regulates immune infiltration into the meninges during neuroinflammation: Immunity www.cell.com/immunity/ful...
Transcription factor Maf promotes expression of repressor Zeb2 to drive microglia development in primitive hematopoiesis @cp-immunity.bsky.social
December 26, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Transcription factor Maf promotes expression of repressor Zeb2 to drive microglia development in primitive hematopoiesis @cp-immunity.bsky.social
Neurons undergo IFNγ-driven persistent epigenetic shifts and synaptopathy in encephalitis: Neuron www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
Neurons undergo IFNγ-driven persistent epigenetic shifts and synaptopathy in encephalitis
Shammas et al. show a neuronal epigenetic remodeling during CNS encephalitis. This
program involves IFNγ-driven persistent reduction in TF-binding site accessibility,
linked to long-lasting reduction ...
www.cell.com
December 24, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Neurons undergo IFNγ-driven persistent epigenetic shifts and synaptopathy in encephalitis: Neuron www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
Vagus nerve-mediated neuroimmune modulation for rheumatoid arthritis: a pivotal randomized controlled trial
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
December 22, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Vagus nerve-mediated neuroimmune modulation for rheumatoid arthritis: a pivotal randomized controlled trial
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Immune-brain plasticity underpins stress and affective behaviors: @cp-neuron.bsky.social www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
Immune-brain plasticity underpins stress and affective behaviors
Lee and Wheeler review the interface of neuroimmune interactions, stress, and affective
behaviors. They highlight anatomical and cellular mechanisms controlling immune-brain
plasticity as well as ther...
www.cell.com
December 22, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Immune-brain plasticity underpins stress and affective behaviors: @cp-neuron.bsky.social www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
CRISPRi screening in cultured human astrocytes uncovers distal enhancers controlling genes dysregulated in Alzheimer’s disease
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
December 18, 2025 at 2:59 PM
CRISPRi screening in cultured human astrocytes uncovers distal enhancers controlling genes dysregulated in Alzheimer’s disease
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Phosphorylated tau exhibits antimicrobial activity capable of neutralizing herpes simplex virus 1 infectivity in human neurons
www.nature.com/articles/s41... @natneuro.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41... @natneuro.nature.com
December 17, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Phosphorylated tau exhibits antimicrobial activity capable of neutralizing herpes simplex virus 1 infectivity in human neurons
www.nature.com/articles/s41... @natneuro.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41... @natneuro.nature.com
Intravital observation of neuronal and immune cell dynamics in the developing mammalian brain: @cellpress.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
December 16, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Intravital observation of neuronal and immune cell dynamics in the developing mammalian brain: @cellpress.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Caspase-8 expression in CD8+ T cells promotes pathogen restriction in the brain during Toxoplasma gondii infection www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
December 13, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Caspase-8 expression in CD8+ T cells promotes pathogen restriction in the brain during Toxoplasma gondii infection www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A fin-loop-like structure in GPX4 underlies neuroprotection from ferroptosis: @cellpress.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cms/10.1016/...
www.cell.com/cms/10.1016/...
December 4, 2025 at 6:16 PM
A fin-loop-like structure in GPX4 underlies neuroprotection from ferroptosis: @cellpress.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cms/10.1016/...
www.cell.com/cms/10.1016/...
In vivo CRISPR screen reveals regulation of macrophage states in neuroinflammation @natneuro.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
December 4, 2025 at 2:33 PM
In vivo CRISPR screen reveals regulation of macrophage states in neuroinflammation @natneuro.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Loss of PILRA promotes microglial immunometabolism to reduce amyloid pathology in cell and mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease | Science Translational Medicine www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Loss of PILRA promotes microglial immunometabolism to reduce amyloid pathology in cell and mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease
PILRA is a therapeutic target for Alzheimer’s disease that regulates neuroinflammation and metabolism in microglia.
www.science.org
December 3, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Loss of PILRA promotes microglial immunometabolism to reduce amyloid pathology in cell and mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease | Science Translational Medicine www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The ‘silent’ brain cells that shape our behaviour, memory and health @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...
The ‘silent’ brain cells that shape our behaviour, memory and health
Astrocytes make up one-quarter of the brain, but researchers are only now realizing their true value.
www.nature.com
December 3, 2025 at 3:25 PM
The ‘silent’ brain cells that shape our behaviour, memory and health @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Shingles vaccination prevents or delays dementia and slows the disease course among those already living with dementia @cellpress.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
December 2, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Shingles vaccination prevents or delays dementia and slows the disease course among those already living with dementia @cellpress.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...