Integration of Immune Processes and Cell Death in the Pathogenesis of Human Disorders

The interplay between immune responses and cell death pathways is a central theme in immunology and pathology. Recent developments emphasize that these systems do not operate in isolation; rather, their coordinated regulation is pivotal to both maintaining physiological tissue and preventing diseases such as cancer, autoimmunity, neurodegeneration, and infectious syndromes. While classical studies treated immune surveillance and cell death as distinct, it is now clear that specific modalities of cell death—including apoptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, and ferroptosis—profoundly influence immune cell function. Conversely, immune effectors shape the nature and threshold of cell death in a tissue- and context-dependent manner. Despite these insights, major questions remain regarding how immune-cell death networks mechanistically drive or inhibit distinct pathological states, and which molecular checkpoints determine tissue outcomes. Identifying the interplay’s precise contribution to disease progression and therapeutic resistance is an urgent task, especially in light of conflicting evidence from clinical and preclinical settings.This Research Topic aims to advance our understanding of how integrated immune and cell death mechanisms contribute to human disease, with a particular focus on context-specific molecular and cellular checkpoints. Central questions include how dysregulated crosstalk leads to chronic inflammation, autoimmunity, tumor escape, or immune suppression, and which intervention points can be harnessed for novel therapies. Submissions should address the mechanistic basis of immunity-cell death interactions, reveal novel regulators or tissue-specific factors, and explore therapeutic approaches that target this axis to restore balance and improve disease outcomes. Both foundational mechanistic studies and translational research will be emphasized.To gather further insights into the molecular, cellular, and therapeutic dimensions of immune-cell death interaction, we encourage contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:o Novel signaling networks linking cell death pathways (e.g., pyroptosis, necroptosis, ferroptosis) to immunity.o Dysregulation of immune-cell death crosstalk in the pathogenesis of cancer, autoimmune, inflammatory, neurodegenerative, and infectious diseases.o Therapeutic interventions, biomarkers, and drug targets modulating this crosstalk.o Influence of cell death-immunity interplay on local tissue microenvironments, such as the tumor niche.o Systemic immune effects and feedback on homeostasis and disease resolution. Topic editors: Dechao Feng, Qi Zhang, Zhaojie Lyu, Koo Han Yoo, Tracey Martin Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79557/integration-of-immune-processes-and-cell-death-in-the-pathogenesis-of-human-disorders