The body’s innate immune system, active from birth, is the first line of defense against viruses and other pathogens that cause disease. Using vaccination as an example, after receiving a vaccine, pain, redness, or swelling may occur at the injection site. This response is a demonstration of how the immune system is turned on, but also should be turned off on time so that side effects subside. Dr. Yuliang Wu (Ph.D.) from USask’s College of Medicine and his team are investigating how a gene known as DDX41 contributes to this immune system function, and how mutations in the gene can lead to two potentially fatal blood cancers—myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML).