September marked 50 years since my colleagues and I published a paper describing what became known as interleukin-2, or IL-2, one of the first cytokines to be discovered and a protein essential to the growth and regulation of T cells. Science marked that anniversary with a perspective by renowned immunologists Rafi Ahmed and Steven Rosenberg examining the discovery.

A groundbreaking discovery by Robert C. Gallo, MD, half a century ago helped establish the scientific foundation for modern cancer immunotherapy. Now, two of the world’s leading immunologists are revisiting the discovery and its enduring impact on medicine in a new Landmark Perspective in Science.

The study described the use of the body's own immune cells to treat metastatic melanoma. For Dr. Kottilil, it was a revelation. "I wanted to do something similar, to develop therapies that could cure diseases once thought incurable," he recalled.

For many patients, recovery from a viral infection marks the end of illness. The fever fades or the symptoms improve, and life returns normal. But emerging research at USF Health suggests that with some viruses, especially as people age, the most serious effects may surface years later, quietly unfolding in the brain.