Following the immunological clock

Systems Immunology Immune function is altered during pregnancy to protect the fetus from an immunological attack without disrupting protection against infection. Aghaeepour et al. used mass cytometry to examine the precise timing of these pregnancy-induced changes in immune function and regulation. They developed an algorithm that captures the immunological timeline during pregnancy, validating previous findings and shedding light on immune cell interactions during gestation. By defining this immunological chronology during normal pregnancy, they can now look for alterations associated with pregnancy-related pathologies. Sci. Immunol. 2 , eaan2946 (2017).