Meet the immunologists redefining the future of practice, research, and technology
The touchIMMUNOLOGY Future Leaders 2026 have been nominated by the immunology community to recognize the rising stars shaping the future of research and clinical care. These clinicians, researchers and innovators are driving progress across the specialty — from advancing clinical practice to challenging convention and improving patient outcomes.
New insights are added regularly, covering a broad range of subspecialties and evolving clinical scenarios. Sign up below for Free Access to the latest clinical updates in your specialty!
Arno Bourgonje
University Medical Center Groningen • Groningen, Netherlands
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
“The combination of translational research, rapidly evolving therapies and long-term patient relationships made gastroenterology a very natural fit for me.”
→ Read more about the research advancing biomarker discovery
Cedric Bogaert
myNEO Therapeutics, Ghent, Belgium
Precision Immunology
“Precision immunology is still an emerging field, and there is a long way to go before its full potential is realized.“
→ Read more about antigen discovery and personalized immunotherapy
Christian Pacher-Deutsch
CBmed GmbH and Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
Gut Microbiome
“Think outside the box and don’t hesitate to collaborate, as some of the most innovative outcomes emerge from interdisciplinary work.“
→ Read more about microbiome research and interdisciplinary innovation
Elisa Pose
Hospital Clínic Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Alcohol-related Liver Disease
“Hepatology offered both intellectual depth and the chance to contribute to a field where unmet needs are still vast.“
→ Read more about innovations in alcohol-related liver disease
Joann Diray-Arce
Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
Systems Immunology & Vaccinology
“I wanted to use data, immunology, and computation to help answer questions that matter to families.“
→ Read more about advances in precision vaccines
Karl Mårild
Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
Pediatric Gastroenterology
“Research is, after all, re-search: refining, redirecting, and rethinking approaches to improve health.”
→ Read more about research in pediatric celiac disease and IBD
Keerthi Talari
Yashoda Hospitals, Secunderabad, India
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
“There is a significant gap between the number of trained rheumatologists and the large burden of patients with autoimmune diseases.“
→ Read more about innovations in lupus care
Luisina Ines Onofrio
National University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
Autoimmune Disease
“I am particularly excited about advances that bring experimental models closer to human disease.“
→ Read more on improving autoimmune care through T-cell biology
Nuru Noor
University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
“I think a lot of the major innovations and improvements in IBD care will be driven by novel approaches to clinical trials.“
→ Read more about innovative IBD clinical trial design
Priscila Pérez Vinueza
Mexican College of Rheumatology, Mexico City, Mexico
Rheumatic & Musculoskeletal Diseases
“I am excited by the growing number of high-quality consensuses in Latin America that are breaking economic barriers and improving rheumatology care.“
→ Read more about the future of rheumatology care
Srikanth Sadhu
Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Pali, India
Viral Immunology
“A defining shift in my research has been moving from viewing the immune system as a passive responder to recognizing it as a decisive driver of disease severity.“
→ Read more about the research advancing viral immunology
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