People, Parasites, and Plagues

Rebuilding Immunity: The Thymus, Your Immune System’s Hidden Architect

David Peterson and Kim Klonowski

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0:00 | 35:43

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Nancy Manley, Director of the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University. Before ASU, she spent over 20 years at the University of Georgia, where she served as Head of the Department of Genetics and a Distinguished Research Professor studying the thymus.

We explore one of the body’s most overlooked yet essential organs, the thymus, and how it builds and shapes the immune system over time. Dr. Manley breaks down why this organ is far more dynamic than most people realize, and why its complexity makes it so challenging to study.

From immune development to aging and disease, this conversation highlights how much we still don’t understand, and why it matters.