Summary4 min read

Blood, Sweat and Smears – Episode Summary

Podcast: Blood, Sweat and Smears – A Machaon Diagnostics Podcast
Episode: 5 Questions at CIS 2026
Host: Dr. Brad Lewis (Medical Director, Machaon Diagnostics)
Date: May 13, 2026
Setting: Interviews recorded live at the Clinical Immunology Society (CIS) 40th Anniversary Meeting

Episode Overview

This episode features a lively series of rapid-fire interviews conducted by Dr. Brad Lewis at the CIS 2026 conference. Five different CIS attendees respond to tailored questions capturing their personal, clinical, and professional perspectives in immunology—ranging from favorite cytokines to what makes clinical immunology special, and even beach recommendations.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. What Makes Clinical Immunology Special?

[00:41]

Dr. Pui Lee, MD, PhD (Pediatric Rheumatologist, Boston Children’s Hospital)
- Clinical immunology stands out because of the direct translation from laboratory research to patient care.
- The field enhances diagnostic precision and expands therapeutic options, notably with biologics.
- Quote:
  
  “Watching the application of the knowledge that we have in the laboratory and see how patients get better diagnosis sooner and also see how they improve with the availability of new biologics and treatment. It's really a wonderful feeling.”
  — Dr. Pui Lee [00:56]

2. What’s Your Favorite Cytokine and Why?

[01:13]

Dr. Nima Izadi (Children’s Hospital Los Angeles)
- Selects IL-4 as a favorite cytokine.
  - IL-4 is pivotal in allergy care—blocking it helps improve patients’ lives.
  - Ironically, IL-4 can be ignored on a cytokine panel, as "it’s pretty useless" in that context.
- Quote:
  
  “I’d have to go with IL-4, because when we block it in allergy, it keeps us in business and we're able to make kids a lot better. And when we measure it in a cytokine panel, I can basically ignore it because it's pretty useless.”
  — Dr. Nima Izadi [01:23]

3. What’s Your Favorite Sticker and Why?

[02:01]

Michael (Boston Children’s Hospital)
- Chooses the “CXC09 sticker” as a favorite, citing frequent use.
- The sticker brings back fond childhood memories, connected to the anime Dragon Ball Z.
- Quote:
  
  “My favorite sticker would be the CXC09 sticker. One, because we order it a lot. But two, it brings back many childhood memories and is incredibly hilarious and is a nice homage to anime because it's Dragon Ball Z.”
  — Michael [02:10]
- (Host notes for listeners: CXC09 is a Dragon Ball Z reference.)

4. What Do You Value about Machaon Diagnostics’ Testing Services?

[02:39]

Dr. Rini Pataudia (Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and Memorial Healthcare System, Hollywood, FL)
- Praises very fast turnaround times.
- Appreciates that providers can receive text updates for real-time results.
- Quote:
  
  “I really value that Machaon is able to have quick turnaround time, specifically the speed at which the results are available to us and the fact that they're able to actually text the ordering physician, so that way they can get real time updates on the results.”
  — Dr. Rini Pataudia [02:48]

5. What Do You Love about CIS? (CIS 40th Anniversary Reflections)

[03:19]

Dr. Lisa Ford Satter (Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine)
- Loves “everything” about CIS: the people, science, collaborations, and culture.
- Emphasizes CIS as the home for advancing treatment and research in inborn errors of immunity and immune-mediated disease.
- Quote:
  
  “I love everything about CIS. I can't think of anything. The colleagues, the science, the collaborations, the treatment plans, all of our industry partners. It's just an amazing culture and it's what keeps our field forward.”
  — Dr. Lisa Ford Satter [03:24]
- Adds the importance of the conference community for both patients and professionals.

Bonus Question: What Would You Recommend?

[04:03]

Dr. Jen Lighting (Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital)
- Recommended: “Beaches and sunsets.”
- Quote:
  
  “I would recommend beaches and sunsets.”
  — Dr. Jen Lighting [04:07]

Notable Moments & Quotes (with Timestamps)

Dr. Pui Lee on Translational Immunology:
- “Watching the application... It's really a wonderful feeling.” [00:56]
Dr. Nima Izadi’s Cytokine Paradox:
- “When we block it in allergy, it keeps us in business... pretty useless [on a panel].” [01:23]
Michael’s Anime Sticker Choice:
- “…a nice homage to anime because it's Dragon Ball Z.” [02:10]
Dr. Rini Pataudia on Turnaround Time:
- “Quick turnaround time... real time updates on the results.” [02:48]
Dr. Lisa Ford Satter’s All-In CIS Love:
- “I love everything about CIS… It’s what keeps our field forward.” [03:24]
Jen Lighting’s Simple Recommendation:
- “Beaches and sunsets.” [04:07]

Listener Takeaways

Clinical immunology is unique for its immediate, impactful translation from research to improved patient outcomes.
Cytokines, especially IL-4, play both serious and lighthearted roles in clinical practice.
Professional communities and conferences like CIS foster not only scientific advancement but also rich collaborative cultures.
Speed, communication, and responsiveness are vital in lab diagnostics for clinicians.
Sometimes, the best advice is simple: take time for beaches and sunsets.

Episode Structure

[00:05] – Introductions and episode premise
[00:41] – Question 1: What makes clinical immunology special? (Dr. Pui Lee)
[01:13] – Question 2: Favorite cytokine and why? (Dr. Nima Izadi)
[02:01] – Question 3: Favorite sticker. (Michael)
[02:39] – Question 4: What’s valued about Machaon Diagnostics? (Dr. Rini Pataudia)
[03:19] – Question 5: What do you love about CIS? (Dr. Lisa Ford Satter)
[04:03] – Bonus: Recommendation (Dr. Jen Lighting)

For more resources or to suggest a topic, email: bloodsweatandsmears@machaondiagnostics.com

Host’s Tone: Friendly, rapid-fire and upbeat, with an enthusiasm for both science and community.
Guest Voices: Candid, authentic, occasionally humorous, deeply passionate about immunology and patient care.

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Transcript14 lines

[00:06]
A
Hello and welcome to Blood, Sweat and Smears, your Macheon diagnostics podcast with tag team hosts, including our medical director, Dr. Brad Lewis, senior director Bjorn Stromses, that's me. And other guest hosts.
[00:20]
B
We hope you find these podcasts interesting and informative.
[00:23]
A
Thank you for listening. And away we go. So we're here at CIS and we are doing five questions at cis and the first question is what makes clinical immunology special? And to answer that question, give your name, your institution, and what you think.
[00:42]
C
I'm Pui Lee, MD, PhD in pediatric rheumatologist at Boston Children's Hospital. I think clinical immunology is very special because we can apply concepts that we develop in the laboratory and really see how useful it can be in clinical care, both for diagnostic purposes and also for treatment purposes. And watching the application of the knowledge that we have in the laboratory and see how patients get better diagnosis sooner and also see how they improve with the availability of new biologics and treatment. It's really a wonderful feeling.
[01:13]
A
Well, that's a great answer and thank you for that, Dr. Lee. Okay, we're here with question number two, which is since we're here at CIS, what's your favorite cytokine and why? Give me your name, institution, and your thoughts. Okay, name is Nimayzadi Institutions Children's Hospital Los Angeles. And my thoughts, favorite cytokine. I'd have to go with aisle four, because when we block it in allergy, it keeps us in business and we're able to make kids a lot better. And when we measure it in a cytokine panel, I can basically ignore it because it's pretty useless. Perfect. That's. That's it. Thank you for your time. Okay, so we're back with five questions and we're on to question three, which is what is your favorite sticker and why? So give me name, institution, and then your vote. But don't forget the why part.
[02:02]
C
Hi, I'm Michael. I'm at Boston Children's Hospital. My favorite sticker would be the CXC09 sticker. One, because we order it a lot. But two, it brings back many childhood memories and is incredibly hilarious and is a nice homage to anime because it's
[02:19]
A
Dragon Ball Z, so the audio people will not know that that is Dragon Ball Z. So, yeah, fantastic answer. Thank you very much. Okay, back for question four, which is, as a consumer of Mechan's testing, what is something that you value about that? And give your name, institution, and your answer.
[02:40]
D
Hi, My name is Dr. Rini Pataudia. I'm part of Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital and Memorial Healthcare System in Hollywood, Florida. And I really value that Meishion is able to have quick turnaround time, specifically the speed at which the results are available to us and the fact that they're able to actually text the ordering position so that way they can get real time updates on the results.
[03:03]
A
That sounds exactly like what we do. Fantastic. Thank you very much for your answer. Okay, so we are on to question five, which is what do you love about CIS? On this CIS's 40th anniversary, give your name and your institution and tell me what you think.
[03:20]
D
Lisa Ford Satter Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine. I love everything about cis. I can't think of anything. The colleagues, the science, the collaborations, the treatment plans, all of our industry partners. It's team just an amazing culture and it's what keeps our field forward. It's the home of inborn errors of immunity and immune mediated disease, and there's no other place in the world that's better for our patients.
[03:48]
A
That sounded like a very well informed answer, so thank you very much for your time. Okay, here we are with our bonus question, which is what is something you would recommend? Yeah, Name. I'm sorry? Name and institution.
[04:03]
D
Jen Lighting, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital. And I would recommend beaches and sunsets.
[04:10]
A
Beaches and sunsets. Sounds lovely. That's an easy recommend there. Yeah. Fantastic. Thank you very much.
[04:18]
B
That's it for us here at Blood, Sweat and Smears, a podcast produced by Macheon Diagnostics, your reference lab and CRO specializing in thrombosis, hemostasis and rare disease. Thank you for listening and if you have a question or comment or there's a topic you'd like Dr. Lewis to speak to, please send us an email to blood sweatandsmeersatriondiagnostics.com that's M A C H A O-N diagnostics.com youm can follow Macheon at Twitter aiondx. Be sure to subscribe to stay in the know. Share this podcast with clinicians you think might appreciate it and we hope you'll join us next time here at Blood, Sweat and Smears. SA.