#  Discovery Challenges View of How Cells Communicate During Inflammation 

 





Receptor-free signaling pathway may offer new target for treating autoimmune disease



 

October 20, 2026

 

 

When the immune system detects a threat, cells communicate with one another through signals that activate inflammation. Scientists have long understood that these signals are relayed through receptors: proteins on or inside cells that detect danger and pass along instructions.

Now, Harvard Medical School researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have reported that inflammatory signals can continue without receptors, revealing alternative pathways for cell-to-cell communication and a potential new target for treating autoimmune disease.

“The discovery of this receptor-free signaling transduction underscores the value of exploratory science as a means to expand the lexicon of life,” said senior author [Jonathan Kagan](https://connects.catalyst.harvard.edu/Profiles/display/Person/36686), the HMS Marian R. Neutra, PhD Professor of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s.



 

 

 

 [ Read full article arrow\_circle\_right ](https://hms.harvard.edu/news/discovery-challenges-view-how-cells-communicate-during-inflammation?utm_source=OCERMarketingCloud&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=10.20.2026&utm_content=Discovery+Challenges+View+of+How+Cells+Communicate+During+Inflammation) 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 See also:- [ Home Page ](/news/home-page)
 
 

 Share on:- [     Facebook ](#)
- [     Twitter ](#)
- [     Linkedin ](#)