{"id":10220,"date":"2025-04-29T08:57:47","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T07:57:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/?p=10220"},"modified":"2025-04-29T08:57:47","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T07:57:47","slug":"immunology-the-key-to-understanding-and-treating-many-diseases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/immunology-the-key-to-understanding-and-treating-many-diseases\/","title":{"rendered":"Immunology: the key to understanding and treating many diseases"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-10241 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1441\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-2048x1153.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The immune system is one of the great achievements of evolution. It detects and responds to viruses, bacteria, parasites, tumour cells and even attacks by inert objects. Similarly, our efforts to <\/span><b>understand and decipher how our own immune system works is also one of humanity\u2019s great achievements<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. A clear example of this is the fact that, in the last 50 years alone, vaccines have saved 154 million lives according to the World Health Organisation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today <\/span><b>immunology<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the branch of biomedical science that studies the immune system, is going much further. It\u2019s <\/span><b>redefining biomedicine<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, paving the way for new advances in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of all kinds of diseases, from cancer to neurological disorders. <\/span><b>In World Immunisation Week<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> we explore, together with three researchers from the CaixaResearch network, how this discipline <\/span><b>is transforming the way we approach key areas of research, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and reflect on the <\/span><b>potential of the CaixaResearch Institute <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">as a driver of research and innovation in this field.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_EZbGhOFC-c?si=hc_AnqjKrPTfIMiV\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><b>Training immune cells to deal with cancer<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>CAR-T <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cell therapies are one of the most promising new therapeutic approaches to cancer. This kind of therapy genetically modifies a type of immune cell present in our body, the T-lymphocytes, to <\/span><b>recognise and destroy tumour cells more effectively and precisely<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. However, extracting and reprogramming T-cells from each patient entails a significant cost that, in many cases, limits this therapy\u2019s application.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/caixaresearch.org\/en\/caixaresearch-health-call-projects-2024-car-t-cancer-therapies\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marc G\u00fcell<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, CaixaResearch researcher and ICREA Research Professor at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, is leading a project that seeks to use viruses as vectors to modify T-cells in the patient\u2019s own body. <\/span><b>The idea is that viruses reach the lymphocytes and introduce the genetic modification<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, making it possible to apply CAR-T therapies for cancer via a simple injection. This would greatly simplify treatments and reduce their cost.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;We\u2019ve developed virus-like particles (VLPs) that are very precise, so they only enter T-lymphocytes and not other cells. They also manage to evade the immune system, which <\/span><b>helps them to survive<\/b> <b>and reduces the body&#8217;s inflammatory response<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8221; explains G\u00fcell. &#8220;In addition to our work, there are also other immunological approaches against cancer that have great potential. For example, some seek to reinforce the body&#8217;s natural response to cancer by targeting proteins that normally limit the immune system&#8217;s action\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-10225 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog4-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog4-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog4-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog4-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog4-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog4-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog4-1-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marc G\u00fcell<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, CaixaResearch researcher and ICREA Research Professor at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<h2><b>Understanding the immune response to infection<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every time our body suffers an infection our immune system responds. However, it doesn\u2019t always respond in the same way but activates a response tailored to each type of pathogen. The success of this very specific response depends largely on <\/span><b>communication between the cells of the immune system<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a process that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/caixaresearch.org\/en\/caixaresearch-health-call-2022-project-immune-system\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nuria Mart\u00ednez<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, CaixaResearch researcher at the Centro de Biolog\u00eda Molecular Severo Ochoa del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cient\u00edficas y la Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Madrid (CSIC-UAM), is trying to understand in depth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;We know that immune cells communicate by direct contact or at a distance through a series of proteins called cytokines, but our studies suggest <\/span><b>they<\/b> <b>may also be using molecules generated by the metabolism <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to exchange information, which we\u2019ve termed metabolic communication&#8221; explains Mart\u00ednez. &#8220;Understanding this language could open up new avenues for improving vaccines or treating immune diseases with nutritional interventions\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The researcher believes that immunology is more important than ever, as advances in this biomedical field have <\/span><b>revolutionised the way we understand, diagnose and treat <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">infectious diseases. &#8220;Thanks to our better understanding of the immune system and its response to different pathogens, it has been possible to develop more effective vaccines, innovative immunomodulatory therapies and more precise diagnostic tools&#8221; she adds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-10229 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog2-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog2-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog2-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog2-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog2-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog2-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog2-1-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nuria Mart\u00ednez<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, CaixaResearch researcher at the Centro de Biolog\u00eda Molecular Severo Ochoa del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cient\u00edficas y la Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Madrid (CSIC-UAM).<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<h2><b>When the immune system attacks the brain<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometimes the immune system gets confused and acts against our own body, as is the case of <\/span><b>autoimmune encephalitis<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The most common occurrence is when the immune system attacks a protein in brain cells called the NMDA receptor. This affects mostly young adults and children, causing symptoms such as behavioural changes, psychosis, memory loss, seizures, decreased consciousness and even changes in the area of the brain that controls breathing. <\/span><b>Although treatment is available and the disease is often curable<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, patients can continue to experience psychiatric and cognitive disorders for months or even years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/caixaresearch.org\/en\/caixaresearch-health-call-2022-project-encephalitis\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Josep Dalmau<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a researcher at Hospital Cl\u00ednic-IDIBAPS and a recent addition to the CaixaResearch Institute, is working to better understand <\/span><b>the symptoms and causes of this prolonged recovery phase <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of this disease by studying patients. &#8220;In parallel to studies with patients, we\u2019ve developed an animal model of the disease that will help us to better understand the biological mechanisms, identify biomarkers and develop new treatment strategies&#8221; explains Dalmau.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Immunology has made considerable advances in the research of neurological diseases, especially autoimmune ones,&#8221; adds the researcher. &#8220;Very effective treatments have been developed for diseases such as multiple sclerosis, and the <\/span><b>autoimmune origin of different diseases has been discovered<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, such as autoimmune encephalitis, of which more than 40 types have been described. Moreover, advances in immunology have helped us better understand the mechanisms and, therefore, how to approach the treatment of processes such as cancer or infections that can trigger an immune response directed against the brain and other parts of the nervous system.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-10233 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog-1-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Josep Dalmau<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, researcher at Hospital Cl\u00ednic-IDIBAPS and a recent addition to the CaixaResearch Institute.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<h2><b>A pioneering centre to boost immunology research<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the coming months, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/fundacionlacaixa.org\/es\/caixaresearch-institute\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the CaixaResearch Institute <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">will open its doors in Barcelona, bringing together international researchers to study immune system processes and how they interact with the most prevalent diseases. It will therefore become <\/span><b>Spain\u2019s first research centre specialising in immunology and one of the first in Europe.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8220;This is great news. I&#8217;m sure it will become a key component of the city&#8217;s biomedical ecosystem&#8221; says Marc G\u00fcell.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Its location in a city that\u2019s already a major player in biomedical research represents a great opportunity. For example, in the field of neuroimmunology, several centres in the city are international leaders in the study of autoimmune encephalitis, peripheral neuropathies and multiple sclerosis&#8221; explains Josep Dalmau. &#8220;The current scenario of biomedical research in immunology is unprecedented; we\u2019re seeing <\/span><b>advances occurring at an extraordinary rate<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The vision of the CaixaResearch Institute is perfectly in line with this exceptional moment&#8221;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Scientific research advances thanks to the specialised work of individual groups, but above all thanks to collaboration between teams with complementary approaches&#8221; concludes Nuria Mart\u00ednez. &#8220;The creation of the CaixaResearch Institute represents a strategic opportunity to <\/span><b>promote synergies between researchers <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with common interests but diverse perspectives. This collaborative environment will undoubtedly accelerate advances in many different areas of immunology\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-10237 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/render-caixaresearch-institute-c-tac-arquitectes-4.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1968\" height=\"941\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/render-caixaresearch-institute-c-tac-arquitectes-4.jpeg 1968w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/render-caixaresearch-institute-c-tac-arquitectes-4-300x143.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/render-caixaresearch-institute-c-tac-arquitectes-4-1024x490.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/render-caixaresearch-institute-c-tac-arquitectes-4-768x367.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/render-caixaresearch-institute-c-tac-arquitectes-4-1536x734.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1968px) 100vw, 1968px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-10241 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1441\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-2048x1153.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The immune system is one of the great achievements of evolution. It detects and responds to viruses, bacteria, parasites, tumour cells and even attacks by inert objects. Similarly, our efforts to understand and decipher how our own immune system works is also one of humanity\u2019s great achievements. A clear example of this is the fact that, in the last 50 years alone, vaccines have saved 154 million lives according to the World Health Organisation.<\/p>\n<p>Today immunology, the branch of biomedical science that studies the immune system, is going much further. It\u2019s redefining biomedicine, paving the way for new advances in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of all kinds of diseases, from cancer to neurological disorders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sin-categorizar"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Immunology: the key to understanding and treating many diseases - Blog CaixaCi\u00e8ncia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/immunology-the-key-to-understanding-and-treating-many-diseases\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Immunology: the key to understanding and treating many diseases - Blog CaixaCi\u00e8ncia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The immune system is one of the great achievements of evolution. It detects and responds to viruses, bacteria, parasites, tumour cells and even attacks by inert objects. Similarly, our efforts to understand and decipher how our own immune system works is also one of humanity\u2019s great achievements. A clear example of this is the fact that, in the last 50 years alone, vaccines have saved 154 million lives according to the World Health Organisation. Today immunology, the branch of biomedical science that studies the immune system, is going much further. It\u2019s redefining biomedicine, paving the way for new advances in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of all kinds of diseases, from cancer to neurological disorders.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/immunology-the-key-to-understanding-and-treating-many-diseases\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blog CaixaCi\u00e8ncia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-29T07:57:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1441\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ubikmedia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ubikmedia\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/immunology-the-key-to-understanding-and-treating-many-diseases\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/immunology-the-key-to-understanding-and-treating-many-diseases\/\",\"name\":\"Immunology: the key to understanding and treating many diseases - Blog CaixaCi\u00e8ncia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/immunology-the-key-to-understanding-and-treating-many-diseases\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/immunology-the-key-to-understanding-and-treating-many-diseases\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-29T07:57:47+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/#\/schema\/person\/2b9d5310c27055b4862191402c387fca\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/immunology-the-key-to-understanding-and-treating-many-diseases\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/immunology-the-key-to-understanding-and-treating-many-diseases\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-scaled.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/\",\"name\":\"Blog CaixaCi\u00e8ncia\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/#\/schema\/person\/2b9d5310c27055b4862191402c387fca\",\"name\":\"Ubikmedia\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ccc66bc497f8ba496f9d06e5a58a91de?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ccc66bc497f8ba496f9d06e5a58a91de?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Ubikmedia\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/author\/ubikmedia\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Immunology: the key to understanding and treating many diseases - Blog CaixaCi\u00e8ncia","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/immunology-the-key-to-understanding-and-treating-many-diseases\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Immunology: the key to understanding and treating many diseases - Blog CaixaCi\u00e8ncia","og_description":"The immune system is one of the great achievements of evolution. It detects and responds to viruses, bacteria, parasites, tumour cells and even attacks by inert objects. Similarly, our efforts to understand and decipher how our own immune system works is also one of humanity\u2019s great achievements. A clear example of this is the fact that, in the last 50 years alone, vaccines have saved 154 million lives according to the World Health Organisation. Today immunology, the branch of biomedical science that studies the immune system, is going much further. It\u2019s redefining biomedicine, paving the way for new advances in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of all kinds of diseases, from cancer to neurological disorders.","og_url":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/immunology-the-key-to-understanding-and-treating-many-diseases\/","og_site_name":"Blog CaixaCi\u00e8ncia","article_published_time":"2025-04-29T07:57:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1441,"url":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ubikmedia","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ubikmedia","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/immunology-the-key-to-understanding-and-treating-many-diseases\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/immunology-the-key-to-understanding-and-treating-many-diseases\/","name":"Immunology: the key to understanding and treating many diseases - Blog CaixaCi\u00e8ncia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/immunology-the-key-to-understanding-and-treating-many-diseases\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/immunology-the-key-to-understanding-and-treating-many-diseases\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2025-04-29T07:57:47+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/#\/schema\/person\/2b9d5310c27055b4862191402c387fca"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/immunology-the-key-to-understanding-and-treating-many-diseases\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/immunology-the-key-to-understanding-and-treating-many-diseases\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Semana-de-la-Inmunologia_Blog_ENG-scaled.jpg"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/","name":"Blog CaixaCi\u00e8ncia","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/#\/schema\/person\/2b9d5310c27055b4862191402c387fca","name":"Ubikmedia","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ccc66bc497f8ba496f9d06e5a58a91de?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ccc66bc497f8ba496f9d06e5a58a91de?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Ubikmedia"},"url":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/author\/ubikmedia\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10220"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10251,"href":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10220\/revisions\/10251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.caixaresearch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}