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Multiplex Immunohistochemical Analysis of the Spatial Immune Cell Landscape of the Tumor Microenvironment

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Published on: August 18, 2023

A Decolonial Lexicon for Immunology.

Claudio Vieira da Silva¹

¹Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brasil. claudiosilva@ufu.br.

Acta Biotheoretica

|May 9, 2026

Summary

This study proposes a decolonial paradigm shift in immunology, reframing the immune system from a war metaphor to a communication and diplomacy model within the holobiont. This relational approach offers new research and therapeutic avenues for understanding complex diseases.

Keywords:

Decolonization Holobiont Immunology Medical humanities Metaphor Philosophy of biology Relationality Self/non-self

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Immunometabolic Circuits in Infection for Advancing Host Directed Therapies

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Area of Science:

Immunology
Philosophy of Science
Ecology

Background:

Traditional immunology uses war metaphors (body as sovereign state) rooted in colonial logic.
This paradigm limits understanding of symbiosis, tolerance, and relational pathologies.
Modern biology necessitates a re-evaluation of these historical metaphors.

Purpose of the Study:

To advocate for a decolonial paradigm shift in immunology.
To reframe the immune system as a communication, governance, and diplomacy network within the holobiont.
To propose a new conceptual lexicon inspired by relational and ecological philosophies.

Main Methods:

Critically analyze the colonial genealogy of war metaphors in immunology.
Distinguish between historical rhetoric and scientific developments.
Develop a new framework using the metaphor of the body as a quilombo (diverse community).

Main Results:

Identified conceptual inadequacies of war metaphors in explaining modern immunology.
Proposed a relational framework viewing inflammation as community assembly, adaptive response as information journey.
Reframed pathologies (autoimmunity, cancer, immunodeficiency) as crises of communication and social cohesion.

Conclusions:

The proposed decolonial, relational framework offers new research and therapeutic directions.
This approach enhances understanding of the immune system as an integrated, ecologically conscious community.
The quilombo metaphor serves as a pedagogical tool for a holistic view of life.