Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40409505›Full record

ReviewBiomedical journal2026

The clockwork macrophage: Timing in innate immunity.

Siyu Chen, Nick Ciccone, David Ray

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Biomedical journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. The Odyssey of macrophages.Biomedical journal · 2026
    Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Siyu ChenNIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK; NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK; Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Oxford Kavli Centre for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, UK.
Nick CicconeNIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK; NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK; Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Oxford Kavli Centre for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, UK.
David RayNIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK; NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK; Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Oxford Kavli Centre for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, UK. Electronic address: david.ray@ocdem.ox.ac.uk.

Funding

Wellcome Trust 202336
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The circadian clock enables organisms to predict daily environmental changes and synchronise their physiology and behaviour accordingly. Macrophages, key sensor cells in the innate immune system, exhibit cell-autonomous circadian rhythmicity. This circadian rhythmic behaviour is synchronised to the central clock in the hypothalamus as a result of neural, and hormonal signals. Macrophage rhythms and responses involve sensing temporal cues, integrating information from tissue-specific environments, and initiating context-appropriate, time-gated responses. On a broader scale, monocytes and macrophages communicate and synchronise with other immune cells, migrate throughout the body, and infiltrate tissues, collectively contributing to circadian regulation in both health and disease. While the field of macrophage circadian biology is rapidly advancing, it is equally important to reflect on its historical development, which has been shaped by over two centuries of accumulating knowledge and technological progress. This review traces key milestones in macrophage and circadian research, examining how recent discoveries have refined our understanding of early foundational questions and setting the stage for future inquiries. Notably, many intriguing questions remain unresolved, including the circadian regulation of macrophage function under steady-state conditions, the tissue-specific heterogeneity of macrophage circadian rhythms, and the role of macrophage circadian clocks in disease pathogenesis and their potential clinical implications.

Indexed as

Circadian ClocksCircadian RhythmImmunity, InnateMacrophagesAnimalsHumansCircadian rhythmImmune responseMacrophageMetabolism

Identifiers

PMID40409505
PMCPMC13089165

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.