UNC Study Reveals How Chronic Inflammation Disrupts Immune Repair

Researchers uncover key mechanisms behind macrophage dysfunction in chronic inflammation

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered how chronic inflammation fundamentally alters macrophages, immune cells that both drive inflammation and repair damaged tissue. The study shows that long-lasting inflammation traps macrophages in dysfunctional hybrid states, where they continue to promote inflammation but fail to effectively clear damaged cells or support tissue repair.

Why it matters

This research provides new insight into the role of chronic inflammation in diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and neurological disorders. By understanding how chronic inflammation rewires macrophages, scientists can work towards engineering immune cells with more desirable functions to improve healing and treatment.

The details

The research team, led by Celia Shiau, used zebrafish to observe macrophages in real time as inflammation persisted. They found that chronic inflammation, triggered by either a genetic mutation or persistent infection, causes macrophages to suppress a critical repair-associated gene known as mrc1b. The team also discovered that repair-promoting macrophages accumulate an enzyme called cathepsin K, which helps break down proteins, but this does not occur in chronically inflamed macrophages.

  • The study was led by Celia Shiau and funded by the National Institutes of Health.
  • The research paper was published online in Nature Communications on February 11, 2026.

The players

Celia Shiau

Associate professor of biology, microbiology and immunology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the lead researcher on this study.

Caroline Spencer

Staff scientist who led the experimental work for the study.

Matt Hamilton

Graduate student who contributed to the experimental work for the study.

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What they’re saying

“Tracking immune cells as they respond to injury in real time was like watching an action-packed sports game unfold. Where some macrophages are both causing inflammation and starting repair at the same time – rewriting what we thought were separate roles.”

— Celia Shiau, Associate professor (Mirage News)

“By understanding how chronic inflammation rewires macrophages molecularly and behaviorally, we not only can better understand disease but also move toward engineering immune cells with more customizable, desirable functions.”

— Celia Shiau, Associate professor (Mirage News)

What’s next

The researchers plan to further investigate the role of cathepsin K as a marker for repair-promoting macrophages and explore ways to manipulate macrophage function to improve healing and treatment for diseases associated with chronic inflammation.

The takeaway

This study provides critical insights into how chronic inflammation disrupts the immune system's ability to heal, offering new avenues for developing targeted therapies to address a wide range of inflammatory-related diseases.