Research on how the immune system defends the body. Covers immune-cell imaging, T-cell responses, longevity genetics, and cancer immunotherapy.
Antibodies that mimic the SARS-CoV-2 virus may explain lingering symptoms of long-haul COVID-19 and rare vaccine side effects like allergic reactions and blood-clotting. This theory, based on classic immunological concepts, suggests a cascade of immune responses that can lead to adverse effects.
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital discovered that cancer cells can disarmed the immune system by forming nanotubes that pull out mitochondria from immune cells. This new mechanism gives a target to go after, leading to potential new combinations of therapies for improving cancer immunotherapy outcomes.
A recent study by James Godwin, Ph.D. has identified the liver as a primary reservoir for pro-regenerative macrophages essential to limb regeneration in axolotls. The research paves the way for regenerative medicine therapies in humans, potentially treating diseases like heart and lung disease with scar-free healing.
A new study from the University of Georgia found that vaccination results in a more robust immune response than natural infection. Even with waning antibodies, vaccinated individuals still have protective immunity against severe disease and hospitalization.
A recent study discovered high levels of mercury exposure in human bones from Copper Age Iberia, dating back 5000 years. Cinnabar powder used for pigments and rituals led to severe health effects, including intoxication.
Researchers have identified a second person living with HIV who appears to have rid themselves of the virus, with no intact HIV genomes found in over 1.19 billion blood cells and 500 million tissue cells sequenced. This finding may represent a sterilizing cure for people with HIV who cannot achieve this on their own.
Research conducted by Mount Sinai Hospital reveals that cannabis exposure in utero can lead to higher levels of anxiety, aggression, and hyperactivity in children. Placental gene expression also shows lower immune-activating genes, predicting these outcomes.
Scientists have reversed new-onset type 1 diabetes in mice by injecting pyramid-like DNA molecules called tFNAs, which increased regulatory T cells and protected pancreatic β-cells. The treatment is one of the most promising candidates for type 1 diabetes immunotherapy.
Dendritic cells, crucial in detecting infectious agents, need boosting when they are scarce in healthy tissue. A new process, dubbed 'emergency' dendritic cell response, rapidly replenishes these cells from bone marrow upon infection.
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet discovered that interleukin-26 plays a critical role in bacterial pneumonia by directly killing bacteria and modulating the immune system. This finding positions IL-26 as a new potential target for biological treatment of pneumonia, an increasing global health threat.
Researchers found that certain T cells stop working before entering the tumor due to changes in gene expression, making ICB therapies less effective. Combining ICB with other forms of immunotherapy targeting different aspects of T cell function may improve response rates for non-small cell lung cancer patients.
Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital propose using an existing drug to prevent NET formation, which can lead to severe inflammation in conditions like COVID-19, sepsis, and ARDS. The study shows that ricolinostat inhibits histone deacetylases, reducing NET formation and inflammation.
Researchers from Kazan Federal University have developed a gene-cell preparation that uses membrane vesicles to target and kill cancer cells. The technology has shown promise in treating various types of cancer, including breast, lung, and colon cancer.
Researchers have identified a link between certain gut microbiome molecules and the immune system protein P-gp, which plays a critical role in gut inflammation. The study suggests that supporting a healthy balance of microbes in the gut may help regulate P-gp expression and prevent chronic inflammation.
A recent study published in eLife reveals that the shape of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) plays a crucial role in determining infection outcomes. Researchers found that RSV viruses change from long, rod-shaped particles to more rounded ones during infection, which affects the activation of complement proteins by the immune system.
Scientists at Einstein College of Medicine have successfully suppressed HIV infections in mice using a novel treatment strategy that boosts the immune system's CD8+ T cells. The therapy, known as synTac, selectively targets HIV-infected T cells, eliminating them from the body and offering a potential path to a functional cure for HIV.
A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found lactoferrin to have promising efficacy in reducing the risk of respiratory tract infections, including COVID-19. Lactoferrin may also play a beneficial role in managing symptoms and recovery for patients suffering from RTIs.
Patients with multiple myeloma often mount a poor antibody response to COVID-19 vaccines and have a weak T cell response, underscoring the need for booster vaccination and safety precautions. Researchers found that these patients are at high risk of severe COVID-19 infection.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to reduced influenza reporting, but vaccination and strengthened surveillance are critical for a possible resurgence. Research highlights the importance of flu vaccination and early testing for non-influenza respiratory viruses.
Researchers report that 90% of patients who received gene therapy between 2009 and 2012 remain disease-free, with significant immune system differences observed among those treated. The therapy is most effective in younger children, but further work is needed to achieve high levels of gene correction in all patients.
Researchers found that optimizing energy metabolism through autophagy can improve the immune system response in HIV-affected cells, providing a potential therapeutic approach. This metabolic optimization enables CD4 lymphocytes to better defend against HIV-1 by secreting IL-21, a key protein in defense against the virus.
A team of scientists has found that IgA antibodies, a natural defense substance in the human body, can limit the fitness of benign bacteria in the intestine. This discovery helps maintain a delicate balance between the human organism and the intestinal flora.
A study by SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities found that people become more sensitive to feelings of disgust when they perceive their lives as being in danger. As a result, they tend to avoid foreigners, which is linked to an evolutionary response known as the behavioral immune system.
A new pouch device has been developed to protect transplanted human liver cells from immune systems for up to six months, producing crucial biomolecules. This breakthrough offers a potential path toward treating human diseases without needing to suppress the patient's immune system.
A national review of nocardia infection in kidney transplant patients found that those with compromised immune responses are more vulnerable to the opportunistic agent. Nocardiosis can lead to pneumonia and brain abscess, and screening is crucial, especially in combination with pneumonia symptoms.
A Harvard study found that massage therapy using mechanotherapy rapidly clears immune cells from severely injured muscles, enhancing regeneration. The treatment also removed inflammatory cytokines, leading to greater repair and strength recovery in injured muscles.
Cachexia is characterized by weight loss and muscle tissue shrinkage, driven by the immune system's response to chronic infections and diseases. Researchers from CeMM emphasize the need for more research into cachexia, highlighting the importance of interplay between the immune system and metabolism.
A pre-clinical study by University of Illinois Chicago researchers shows that a drug targeting specific immune pathways can prevent lung damage and death in mice infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The study suggests targeted treatments may be more suitable for COVID-19 patients than broad immune suppressants.
A recent study published in Frontiers in Immunology found that opioids can control gut immune responses, reduce colonic inflammation, and even promote the growth of regulatory T cells. The findings suggest that KNT-127 could be a promising therapeutic option for inflammatory bowel disease.
Researchers at the University at Buffalo have developed a new treatment that pairs essential proteins with lysophosphatidylserine to build immune tolerance and prevent antibody development, potentially treating autoimmune disorders and allergies.
A high-fat diet increases the incidence of colorectal cancer by suppressing MHC-II levels in intestinal cells. This disruption allows cancer cells to grow unchecked. Researchers hope that reconfiguring the gut microbiome and boosting immune recognition molecules can help combat cancer.
Researchers have found a protein called CD47 on the surface of infected cells that may protect them from immune system recognition, resulting in more severe disease. High CD47 levels are associated with higher risk factors for severe COVID-19, including age and diabetes.
A Johns Hopkins Medicine research team has provided a definitive view of the biological process leading to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a dangerous inflammatory disease that can destroy a premature infant's intestinal lining. The loss of enteric glia leads to intestinal dysmotility, which is a key factor in NEC's genesis.
A global collaboration has identified three groups of antibodies resistant to mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, which could target vulnerable sites on the protein. The study provides a framework for selecting durable antibody cocktails for COVID-19 treatment and will guide the development of more effective antibody therapies.
Researchers found that viral, fungal, or bacterial infections impact blood vessel repair in the brain after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and cerebrovascular injury. Infected animals took longer to repair damaged blood vessels, leading to permanent cognitive dysfunction and brain damage.
Researchers identified four immune markers that are elevated in SARS-CoV-2 patients in the early phase of infection but not in other viral infections. These findings could provide starting points for future therapeutic approaches and serve as comparative parameters for further studies on chronic COVID-19 forms.
Researchers discover that tumor suppressor genes can prevent the immune system from spotting and destroying malignant cells in mice. The study reveals a surprising new action for many of these defective genes, which trigger mechanisms that prevent the immune system's T-cells from targeting tumors.
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients have a higher risk of carrying autoantibodies that target their own tissues or substances secreted by immune cells. This could lead to full-blown autoimmune disease. Vaccination is seen as a way to boost the immune system without triggering the production of these harmful antibodies.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have identified a new antibacterial mechanism where immune cells cooperate to capture and 'eat' bacteria. This cooperation enhances the killing power of macrophages, increasing phagocytosis of bacterial pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant staph
A study found that the ability to lose control over HIV is linked to a decrease in proliferative and cytolytic ability of immune cells, years before actual virus loss. In contrast to other infections, T cell dysfunction here impairs their response only to HIV.
Researchers found that the gene TCF-1 regulates specific Treg cells, leading to more severe and inflammatory colon cancers. Without TCF-1, these cells become activated and gain a gut-homing feature, resulting in harsher cancer outcomes.
Researchers found that viral fossils in Australian marsupials are used to make non-coding RNAs that protect against outside infection. The study suggests that these viral fossils may be helping to immunize animals, potentially providing a mechanism similar to vaccination.
Researchers have created a new technology to enhance therapeutic antibodies' ability to attack blood cancer cells by leveraging the human immune system. This approach combines IgM and IgG antibodies, resulting in a single molecule with increased complement activation.
Researchers analyzed plasma and single immune cells from nearly 200 COVID-19 patients and found metabolic changes associated with disease severity. The study's findings could lead to better therapies targeting immune-metabolic changes in severe disease cases.
MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researchers discovered a novel mechanism showing how a certain gene mutation can allow tumors to evade detection by the immune system in colorectal cancer patients. The study found that APC mutations lead to increased levels of PD-L1, which allows tumors to evade T-cell function and increase immunosuppression.
A recent study reveals that protein HSP27 plays a crucial role in regulating blood vessel leakage, which is a hallmark of sepsis. By targeting HSP27, researchers hope to develop drugs that can stabilize blood vessel barriers and prevent fluid loss.
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine found that COVID-19 vaccination elicited a response in nearly nine out of ten people with weakened immune systems. However, the responses were only about one-third as strong as those mounted by healthy people. Despite this, the discovery is encouraging news for a population at hig...
A study published in the American Journal of Transplantation found that Covid-19 vaccines stimulate different immune responses in organ transplant patients. While antibody tests alone are insufficient, combining vaccines with T cell analyses provides better protection.
Researchers at the University of Würzburg have found that innate lymphoid cells can specialize into killer cells that recognize and kill tumour cells. The study reveals a new transcription factor, Hobit, drives this specialization process.
A new approach called an immunobiological algorithm provides a comprehensive assessment of how a patient's immune system will react to tissue from each potential living donor. This method outperforms current HLA testing in identifying the best potential living donor, which could lead to improved organ transplant outcomes.
Researchers found that high levels of complement protein Ba are a reliable indicator of transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy development, contrary to previous reports. The study's findings provide hope for developing prophylactic treatments to prevent the disease.
Researchers at the University of Southampton have identified a unique change in B cells that allows them to receive signals from molecules called lectins, enabling tumor growth. This discovery could pave the way for new treatments and early cancer detection methods.
Research from the University of Florida found that COVID-19 vaccination significantly increases antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in breast milk, providing passive immunity to newborns. The study suggests that vaccinated mothers can help protect their babies from COVID-19 illness.
A new study by Ivan Zanoni at Boston Children's Hospital reveals a complex picture of interferon production in mild versus severe COVID-19. The researchers found that different types of interferons have opposite roles in the upper and lower respiratory tract, and that specific interferons determine disease severity.
A new study reveals that high-grade gliomas in dogs contain more immune cells associated with suppressing immune response than low-grade gliomas. The findings suggest that these brain tumors may recruit cells to aid in immunosuppression, which could lead to improved immunotherapies for both humans and dogs.
A validated definition for iMCD-TAFRO has been established to differentiate it from other iMCD cases, enabling timely diagnosis and proper treatment. The new definition includes four clinical criteria: thrombocytopenia, anasarca, fever, and organomegaly.
A multidisciplinary team reveals two structural points in the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 that allow the virus to deceive the immune system. These mutations can be detected and inform strategies to control the pandemic.
A study conducted at a Brazilian university found that treatment with curcumin and light reduces parasite load and eliminates Leishmania parasites completely. Curcumin showed good distribution in macrophages and reduced amastigotes' viability, changing their mitochondrial activity.
Researchers found that prostaglandin E2 protects epithelial cells from cell death by binding to EP4 receptors. This activation counteracts intestinal inflammation progression and may prevent bacterial penetration.
Researchers identified genes and cell types involved in rare inflammatory disease MIS-C in children following COVID-19 infection. The study found that specific immune cells are downregulated and associated with a sustained inflammatory response.