New Publication Highlights Immune Effects of Dietary Iron Deficiency in Early Life

Thomas Connors, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Pediatric Critical Care Medicine), has published new findings in the Journal of Immunology examining how early-life iron deficiency influences immune memory responses to influenza infection. The work has also been highlighted in recent news releases from Columbia and the American Association of Immunologists.

Dr. Connors’ study found that mice on iron-deficient diets were still able to generate memory T cell responses to influenza, but these cells showed impaired interferon-gamma production, an effect not corrected by iron-replete antigen-presenting conditions. The findings offer new insight into how nutritional deficiencies shape antiviral immunity during early development.

This research was supported by the Irving Institute’s Integrating Special Populations (ISP) Pilot Award in 2019. As Dr. Connors notes, “This work would not have happened had it not been for the grant.”

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted timelines for this project, making the publication an important milestone for the team and for ISP-supported early-career investigators.

Read the publication here.

See full list of ISP Awardees here.