A research team from the Medical University of Vienna and CeMM, led by Christoph Bock and Matthias Farlik, has uncovered a complex network of regulators controlling immune responses in macrophages. Published in Cell Systems, the study combines CRISPR gene editing, machine learning, and single-cell RNA sequencing to map how these “scavenger cells” detect and destroy pathogens.
By exposing mouse macrophages to stimuli mimicking bacterial and viral infections, the team tracked gene activity and DNA accessibility over time, identifying dozens of key regulators—including known immune pathways like JAK-STAT and lesser-understood splicing factors and chromatin regulators. The findings shed light on the precision and complexity of innate immunity, with potential implications for infection treatment and immune modulation.
Source: Medical University of Vienna
About the Author
