In rats, the spleen directs a cytokine surge that drives system-wide inflammation, but it is not, as once believed, the main producer of the chemical messenger.
Mice treated with an immunostimulant had better outcomes when researchers blocked the expression of TNFR2, a compound that helps tumors evade immune attack.
With dogged persistence and an unwillingness to entertain defeat, Bruce Beutler discovered a receptor that powers the innate immune response to infections—and earned his share of a Nobel Prize.