2025 has delivered significant momentum in immunology, with major advances unveiled across leading scientific meetings and publications. From autoimmunity and inflammation to vaccines and immuno-oncology, recent research has underscored how rapidly the field is translating fundamental immune insights into real-world clinical impact.
Among the standout developments are new data refining precision immunomodulation—targeting specific immune pathways while minimizing systemic effects—and growing evidence that next-generation cell and gene-based therapies are reshaping treatment paradigms in cancer and chronic immune-mediated disease. Together, these advances signal a shift toward more personalized, durable, and mechanistically driven immune interventions.
We asked five of our touchIMMUNOLOGY Future Leaders 2025 to share what they believe has been the most impactful advancement so far this year, and here’s what they told us.
“One of the most impactful advances in 2025 has been the demonstration that CD19 CAR T cell therapy can induce deep and durable disease remission in patients with severe, treatment-refractory autoimmune disease. These results have reshaped our understanding of how targeted immune cell depletion may be applied beyond cancer to fundamentally alter the course of autoimmunity.”
Dr Sonali Bracken
Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
“From my perspective, one of the most exciting and impactful advancements this year has been the progress in using microbiome analysis for the early diagnosis of cancers and other diseases. These developments are beginning to show real potential to move from research into clinical translation, offering earlier interventions and better outcomes for patients.”
Dr Varol Tunali
Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
“2025 was the year when precision rheumatology truly arrived, as molecular signatures finally guided treatment choices more accurately than clinical labels. It is also about integrating and practically applying artificial intelligence and machine learning in clinical practice.”
Dr Santhanam Sham
Kauvery Hospitals, Chennai, India
“In 2025, the most impactful advancement has been the integration of multi-omics profiling with AI-driven clinical decision tools, allowing a far more precise stratification of immune-mediated diseases. This synergy is beginning to transform our understanding of disease heterogeneity and is already reshaping therapeutic pathways in clinical practice.”
Dr Salvatore Oliva
Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
“In 2025, we witnessed another exciting chapter of the Tarlatamab story, the first bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) to be approved for a major solid tumour, small cell lung cancer (SCLC). By targeting DLL3 on tumor cells, Tarlatamab redirects T-cells toward the tumour, enhancing T-cell-mediated tumour lysis.
Key results from the phase 3 DeLLphi-304 trial showed longer overall survival with Tarlatamab compared to chemotherapy in patients with SCLC whose disease progressed after chemotherapy. Current efforts are further exploring the earlier use of Tarlatamab as first-line maintenance in combination with PD-L1 inhibitors after chemo-immunotherapy.”
Dr Hassan M. Abushukair
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center & Stephenson Cancer Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
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Nominations for touchIMMUNOLOGY Future Leaders 2026
We are excited to announce that nominations for the touchIMMUNOLOGY Future Leaders 2026 will open soon, and we invite the community to share their suggestions for exceptional individuals who are shaping the future of the field through innovation and excellence in patient care.
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