The Allergist Episode 54 – The Peacekeepers of Immunity

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“The immune system generally likes to be a well-balanced machine. It’s kind of like Goldilocks — too much is no good, too little is no good, and it’s finding that balance.”

– Dr. Vy Kim

Tregs have been called therapists, peacekeepers, and now—thanks to this year’s Nobel Prize—front-page immunology. This week, Dr. Vy Kim is here to unpack why these cells might hold the key to everything from tolerance to therapy response, and what allergists should be watching for next.

In this episode:

  • How Tregs bridge central and peripheral tolerance—and why that matters in allergy.
  • What their dysfunction reveals about the origins of allergic disease.
  • Why allergen-specific Tregs could signal immunotherapy success.
  • How far we are from clinical testing and therapeutic manipulation.
  • What “Goldilocks” balance really looks like inside the immune system.
  • The unanswered questions that will shape the future of Treg-based interventions.

It’s not every day the Nobel Prize lines up with what’s happening in your clinic. This is one of those days.

Posted on October 28, 2025.