Heather Gustafson
@heatherhg.bsky.social
Scientist. Engineer. Mom. Wife. Lover of macrophages. #EoE and rare eosinophilic disease daughter, patient, and mom. Finding a love of eosinophils. Trying to help kids with cancer, running a lab at #UW and #SeattleChildrens: Editlabs.org . Views are my own
Pinned
Heather Gustafson
@heatherhg.bsky.social
· Jul 11
It’s Fri-yay! A great day for science. So lucky to get to work with an amazing team!
Reposted by Heather Gustafson
'Electron microscopy and electrical conduction analyses reveal that cancer cells degrade the nerve fibre myelin sheets. The injured neurons respond by autonomously initiating IL-6- and type I interferon-mediated inflammation to promote nerve healing and regeneration'
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Cancer-induced nerve injury promotes resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy - Nature
Perineural invasion and cancer-induced nerve injury of tumour-associated nerves are associated with poor response to anti-PD-1 therapy, which can be reversed by combining anti-PD-1 therapy with a...
www.nature.com
August 23, 2025 at 8:35 AM
'Electron microscopy and electrical conduction analyses reveal that cancer cells degrade the nerve fibre myelin sheets. The injured neurons respond by autonomously initiating IL-6- and type I interferon-mediated inflammation to promote nerve healing and regeneration'
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We are so proud of Bella for all she accomplished this summer! Her curiosity, hard work, and enthusiasm made a real impact. A huge thank you to Nikhita for her thoughtful and dedicated mentorship- she created a positive and supportive learning experience.
August 21, 2025 at 7:05 PM
We are so proud of Bella for all she accomplished this summer! Her curiosity, hard work, and enthusiasm made a real impact. A huge thank you to Nikhita for her thoughtful and dedicated mentorship- she created a positive and supportive learning experience.
Reposted by Heather Gustafson
Machine Learning of Serum Cytokine and Chemokine Profiles Can Classify Inflammatory Bowel Disease Beyond Clinical Diagnosis from SMI member Tadakazu Hisamatsu.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#SMIMemberPaper
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#SMIMemberPaper
August 21, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Machine Learning of Serum Cytokine and Chemokine Profiles Can Classify Inflammatory Bowel Disease Beyond Clinical Diagnosis from SMI member Tadakazu Hisamatsu.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#SMIMemberPaper
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#SMIMemberPaper
Reposted by Heather Gustafson
Review @cellcellpress.bsky.social @danielboehmer.bsky.social @lozanzi.bsky.social
Interferons in health and disease
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Interferons in health and disease
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
August 21, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Review @cellcellpress.bsky.social @danielboehmer.bsky.social @lozanzi.bsky.social
Interferons in health and disease
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Interferons in health and disease
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Reposted by Heather Gustafson
I am beyond excited and incredibly proud to share that our work is now out in @nature.com This discovery was made possible thanks to the first author Kostas kelepouras, my fantastic lab , and the unique research environment here in Cologne in collaboration with the Hospital bambino Gesu in Rome.
STING induces ZBP1-mediated necroptosis independently of TNFR1 and FADD - Nature
Nature - STING induces ZBP1-mediated necroptosis independently of TNFR1 and FADD
www.nature.com
August 21, 2025 at 6:12 AM
I am beyond excited and incredibly proud to share that our work is now out in @nature.com This discovery was made possible thanks to the first author Kostas kelepouras, my fantastic lab , and the unique research environment here in Cologne in collaboration with the Hospital bambino Gesu in Rome.
Reposted by Heather Gustafson
Our latest work on how nerves safeguard lung fibrosis. Congrats to Dr. Hiroki and collaborators. @cp-immunity.bsky.social @kavithascranton.bsky.social @hotchkissbrain.bsky.social @ucalgary.bsky.social @ucalgarymed.bsky.social @libininstitute.bsky.social
www.cell.com/immunity/abs...
www.cell.com/immunity/abs...
Nociceptor neurons suppress alveolar macrophage-induced Siglec-F+ neutrophil-mediated inflammation to protect against pulmonary fibrosis
Sensory innervation impacts several lung diseases, but whether it influences pulmonary
fibrosis (PF) is unclear. Hiroki et al. report that depletion of TRPV1+ nociceptors
leads to worsening of inflamm...
www.cell.com
May 30, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Our latest work on how nerves safeguard lung fibrosis. Congrats to Dr. Hiroki and collaborators. @cp-immunity.bsky.social @kavithascranton.bsky.social @hotchkissbrain.bsky.social @ucalgary.bsky.social @ucalgarymed.bsky.social @libininstitute.bsky.social
www.cell.com/immunity/abs...
www.cell.com/immunity/abs...
70+ years of iron infusions—safe enough for pregnant women—and we still don’t fully know how they work. What goes into making a safe, effective formula? As always: macrophages are key! I got to be a small part of this fascinating story—link below: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Challenging Traditional ADME Assumptions for Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Models for Intravenous Administration of Iron–Carbohydrate Nanomedicines: Potential Utility of Gold Nanoparticle Mode...
Intravenous iron–carbohydrate complexes are a class of nanomedicines that are widely used globally to treat iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia associated with a wide spectrum of disease states...
link.springer.com
August 15, 2025 at 3:33 PM
70+ years of iron infusions—safe enough for pregnant women—and we still don’t fully know how they work. What goes into making a safe, effective formula? As always: macrophages are key! I got to be a small part of this fascinating story—link below: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
New perspectives on our work in CAR-T outcomes for ALL!
Is it the fire (inflammation) or the forest (bone marrow health) that shapes patient responses?
Read the commentary in Transplantation and Cellular Therapy:https://www.astctjournal.org/article/S2666-6367%2825%2901304-1/fulltext
Is it the fire (inflammation) or the forest (bone marrow health) that shapes patient responses?
Read the commentary in Transplantation and Cellular Therapy:https://www.astctjournal.org/article/S2666-6367%2825%2901304-1/fulltext
The fire or the forest: Untangling the role of inflammation and bone marrow health in CAR-T outcomes in acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, first approved for pediatric B-cell
acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), has transformed outcomes in relapsed/refractory
(R/R) disease. Despite high init...
www.astctjournal.org
August 11, 2025 at 11:32 PM
New perspectives on our work in CAR-T outcomes for ALL!
Is it the fire (inflammation) or the forest (bone marrow health) that shapes patient responses?
Read the commentary in Transplantation and Cellular Therapy:https://www.astctjournal.org/article/S2666-6367%2825%2901304-1/fulltext
Is it the fire (inflammation) or the forest (bone marrow health) that shapes patient responses?
Read the commentary in Transplantation and Cellular Therapy:https://www.astctjournal.org/article/S2666-6367%2825%2901304-1/fulltext
It’s Fri-yay! A great day for science. So lucky to get to work with an amazing team!
July 11, 2025 at 3:01 PM
It’s Fri-yay! A great day for science. So lucky to get to work with an amazing team!
Reposted by Heather Gustafson
1/ 🚨 Hot off the press in Nature Immunology: CD4⁺ T cells can license Kupffer cells to rescue dysfunctional CD8⁺ T cells in the liver. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is just the proving ground—this is a paradigm shift in tissue immunity. www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧵(1/11)
June 30, 2025 at 9:09 AM
1/ 🚨 Hot off the press in Nature Immunology: CD4⁺ T cells can license Kupffer cells to rescue dysfunctional CD8⁺ T cells in the liver. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is just the proving ground—this is a paradigm shift in tissue immunity. www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧵(1/11)
Reposted by Heather Gustafson
TRIF-mediated HIF-1α regulation exacerbates inflammasome activation under hypoxia in response to periodontitis-related bacterial infections, contributing to the progression of autoimmune diseases
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Hypoxia drives progression of multiple sclerosis by enhancing the inflammasome activation in macrophages with Porphyromonas gingivalis infection - Cell Death Discovery
Cell Death Discovery - Hypoxia drives progression of multiple sclerosis by enhancing the inflammasome activation in macrophages with Porphyromonas gingivalis infection
www.nature.com
June 10, 2025 at 5:15 PM
TRIF-mediated HIF-1α regulation exacerbates inflammasome activation under hypoxia in response to periodontitis-related bacterial infections, contributing to the progression of autoimmune diseases
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Heather Gustafson
Delighted to share our paper describing how type I interferon promotes caspase-11 hyperactivity in models of PolG-related mitochondrial disease. Thanks to all co-authors and the POLG Foundation for for their support. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Caspase-11 drives macrophage hyperinflammation in models of Polg-related mitochondrial disease - Nature Communications
Mitochondrial diseases lead to chronic health impairment, aggravated by infections and other environmental exposures. Here authors show, in a mouse model of polymerase gamma (Polg)-related mitochondri...
www.nature.com
June 1, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Delighted to share our paper describing how type I interferon promotes caspase-11 hyperactivity in models of PolG-related mitochondrial disease. Thanks to all co-authors and the POLG Foundation for for their support. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
I am so excited to share this paper!
We often focus on the cancer itself, but what about the immune system—especially during immunotherapy?
We asked: can the state of the immune system explain who gets toxicity and who fails CD19 CAR T therapy in ALL?
📄 doi.org/10.1016/j.jt...
🧵
We often focus on the cancer itself, but what about the immune system—especially during immunotherapy?
We asked: can the state of the immune system explain who gets toxicity and who fails CD19 CAR T therapy in ALL?
📄 doi.org/10.1016/j.jt...
🧵
Redirecting
doi.org
May 20, 2025 at 7:32 PM
I am so excited to share this paper!
We often focus on the cancer itself, but what about the immune system—especially during immunotherapy?
We asked: can the state of the immune system explain who gets toxicity and who fails CD19 CAR T therapy in ALL?
📄 doi.org/10.1016/j.jt...
🧵
We often focus on the cancer itself, but what about the immune system—especially during immunotherapy?
We asked: can the state of the immune system explain who gets toxicity and who fails CD19 CAR T therapy in ALL?
📄 doi.org/10.1016/j.jt...
🧵
Reposted by Heather Gustafson
"Modeling the #HLH immune synapse uncovers critical roles for IS termination, cytokine intensity, and target cell death"
We're pretty excited about this one.
doi.org/10.1182/bloo...
We're pretty excited about this one.
doi.org/10.1182/bloo...
May 13, 2025 at 9:54 PM
"Modeling the #HLH immune synapse uncovers critical roles for IS termination, cytokine intensity, and target cell death"
We're pretty excited about this one.
doi.org/10.1182/bloo...
We're pretty excited about this one.
doi.org/10.1182/bloo...
Reposted by Heather Gustafson
#InterferonPower! Hongbo Chi &co @stjude.bsky.social @stjuderesearch.bsky.social show @nature.com that VDAC2 deficiency facilitates tumor destruction by T cell-driven IFNgamma by causing mitochondrial (mt) damage & mtDNA sensing by cGAS–STING, which drives type I IFNs & tumor death!
VDAC2 loss elicits tumour destruction and inflammation for cancer therapy - Nature
VDAC2 deficiency elicits uncontrolled IFNγ-induced BAK activation and mitochondrial damage for improved cancer therapy.
www.nature.com
March 19, 2025 at 7:11 PM
#InterferonPower! Hongbo Chi &co @stjude.bsky.social @stjuderesearch.bsky.social show @nature.com that VDAC2 deficiency facilitates tumor destruction by T cell-driven IFNgamma by causing mitochondrial (mt) damage & mtDNA sensing by cGAS–STING, which drives type I IFNs & tumor death!
Reading to kids about science today! Science matters.
In the words of Ada Twist: “I’m a scientist and scientists never give up!”
In the words of Ada Twist: “I’m a scientist and scientists never give up!”
March 7, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Reading to kids about science today! Science matters.
In the words of Ada Twist: “I’m a scientist and scientists never give up!”
In the words of Ada Twist: “I’m a scientist and scientists never give up!”
Reposted by Heather Gustafson
🎓 The 10th Immunoschool course starts TWO WEEKS TODAY!!! 🎓
To hear the history of cytokine blockers, CAR-T cells and checkpoint inhibitors from the immunologists that developed them, including Marc Feldmann, Michael Sadelain, Rafi Ahmed, Miriam Merad & more, register for FREE here: immunoschool.org
To hear the history of cytokine blockers, CAR-T cells and checkpoint inhibitors from the immunologists that developed them, including Marc Feldmann, Michael Sadelain, Rafi Ahmed, Miriam Merad & more, register for FREE here: immunoschool.org
February 24, 2025 at 1:50 PM
🎓 The 10th Immunoschool course starts TWO WEEKS TODAY!!! 🎓
To hear the history of cytokine blockers, CAR-T cells and checkpoint inhibitors from the immunologists that developed them, including Marc Feldmann, Michael Sadelain, Rafi Ahmed, Miriam Merad & more, register for FREE here: immunoschool.org
To hear the history of cytokine blockers, CAR-T cells and checkpoint inhibitors from the immunologists that developed them, including Marc Feldmann, Michael Sadelain, Rafi Ahmed, Miriam Merad & more, register for FREE here: immunoschool.org
Reposted by Heather Gustafson
Inhibition of NLRP1 Inflammasome Activation by Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Restores Erythropoiesis in Diamond-Blackfan Anemia Syndrome https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.20.639294v1
February 26, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Inhibition of NLRP1 Inflammasome Activation by Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Restores Erythropoiesis in Diamond-Blackfan Anemia Syndrome https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.20.639294v1
Reposted by Heather Gustafson
Better sleep quality could reduce inflammation and improve health outcomes in obesity
doi.org/10.1093/jimm...
@jimmunol.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/jimm...
@jimmunol.bsky.social
Impact of sleep deprivation on monocyte subclasses and function
Abstract. The relationship between sleep deprivation, obesity, and systemic inflammation is a critical area of investigation due to its significant impact
doi.org
February 26, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Better sleep quality could reduce inflammation and improve health outcomes in obesity
doi.org/10.1093/jimm...
@jimmunol.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/jimm...
@jimmunol.bsky.social
Reposted by Heather Gustafson
Today, send a note to your NIH program officers to thank them for the amazing work they have done to support your research. They have been critical in making this country a leader in life sciences.
Do it now.
Do it now.
February 14, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Today, send a note to your NIH program officers to thank them for the amazing work they have done to support your research. They have been critical in making this country a leader in life sciences.
Do it now.
Do it now.
Reposted by Heather Gustafson
A large dataset we hope is helpful for patients who may have CAPS, an #autoinflammatory condition associated with genetic variants in NLRP3. Lots of "variants of uncertain significance" now have a specific readout from our in vitro assay which can help with clinical diagnosis.
rdcu.be/d9iRG
rdcu.be/d9iRG
Mechanisms of NLRP3 activation and inhibition elucidated by functional analysis of disease-associated variants
Nature Immunology - Gain-of-function variants in the gene encoding NLRP3 lead to constitutive inflammasome activation and excessive IL-1β production. In this resource, authors perform...
rdcu.be
February 11, 2025 at 9:57 AM
A large dataset we hope is helpful for patients who may have CAPS, an #autoinflammatory condition associated with genetic variants in NLRP3. Lots of "variants of uncertain significance" now have a specific readout from our in vitro assay which can help with clinical diagnosis.
rdcu.be/d9iRG
rdcu.be/d9iRG
Reposted by Heather Gustafson
Exploring NLRP3-related phenotypic fingerprints in human macrophages using Cell Painting assay
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
February 7, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Exploring NLRP3-related phenotypic fingerprints in human macrophages using Cell Painting assay
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
Reposted by Heather Gustafson
Instead of refreshing eRA commons to see if I got a grant, I can refresh eRA commons to see if grants still exist
February 3, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Instead of refreshing eRA commons to see if I got a grant, I can refresh eRA commons to see if grants still exist
Reposted by Heather Gustafson
New: Lee et al. @harvardmed.bsky.social provide a compendium of early transcriptional responses to major inflammatory #cytokines across all major immunocyte lineages of the mouse, highlighting unappreciated relationships btwn these cytokines and with other cytokine families https://buff.ly/4gn71Fg
January 28, 2025 at 5:17 PM
New: Lee et al. @harvardmed.bsky.social provide a compendium of early transcriptional responses to major inflammatory #cytokines across all major immunocyte lineages of the mouse, highlighting unappreciated relationships btwn these cytokines and with other cytokine families https://buff.ly/4gn71Fg
Reposted by Heather Gustafson
🧬New research published today in Cell shows how children’s immune systems react to different kinds of cancer depending on their age. This work has the potential to lead to new tailored treatments.
@petterbrodin.bsky.social @imperialmed.bsky.social
@petterbrodin.bsky.social @imperialmed.bsky.social
New study paves way for immunotherapies tailored for childhood cancers
New research shows how children’s immune systems react differently to cancer than adult immune systems, and that their immune responses depend on the kind of tumour they have. The study shows that chi...
lms.mrc.ac.uk
January 20, 2025 at 4:12 PM
🧬New research published today in Cell shows how children’s immune systems react to different kinds of cancer depending on their age. This work has the potential to lead to new tailored treatments.
@petterbrodin.bsky.social @imperialmed.bsky.social
@petterbrodin.bsky.social @imperialmed.bsky.social