In this season of voting for the ICIS, President Sarah Gaffen has released the 2024 King of Pathogens Memorial Cytokine Bracket. As some of you will no doubt remember, then-ICIS President Chris Hunter (aka, “King of Pathogens”) created the tongue-in-cheek, but nonetheless hard-fought “Cytokine Bracket” that made the rounds on Twitter/X last summer. Fierce rivalries developed between the Interferon enthusiasts, the IL-17 contingent, and a small but vocal group of IL-18 boosters. In the end, (and far from coincidentally) it was the King of Pathogens’ favorite cytokine IL-27 that won the day, squeaking out IL-2 in a race-from-behind finish.
“I resurrected the bracket this year, with the innovation that votes are actually counted,” said Gaffen. “The sharp-eyed among you will notice some conspicuous absences. Last year’s champion IL-27 withdrew from competition due to a scandal involving alleged use of performing-enhancing PEGylation. Its place in the roster was taken by EPO, a cytokine never previously associated with controversy.”
Scan the QR code or click here to play. Voting for the first-round ends July 17 at 5:17 pm East Coast time (that’s 7-17 at 17:17 for those who are paying attention).
Final winner will be announced October 1, so you have lots of time to follow the excitement.
