Articles tagged with Immune System
Scientists at Garvan Institute of Medical Research have identified a new micro-organ within the immune system that helps fight reinfection fast. The structure, named SPFs, is strategically positioned to detect infection early and contains immune cells gathering to mount a rapid response.
Researchers found that adding retinoic acid to standard-of-care treatment for melanoma can turn off myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) that resist immune treatments, leading to increased immune system activity. The study showed a safe and promising strategy to target MDSCs, which could be a useful addition to immunotherapies for ...
Researchers found that cortisol enables AML cells to evade the immune system by inducing latrophilin 1 expression. This allows cancer cells to suppress anti-cancer immune mechanisms, leading to disease progression.
Researchers discover that PLD3 and PLD4 play a crucial role in degrading DNA and preventing autoimmune reactions. The proteins were found to regulate endosomal nucleic acid sensing, which may contribute to new approaches in cancer immunotherapy and treatment of autoimmune disorders.
Researchers at Ohio State University have developed a unique vaccine that employs an uncommon two-pronged approach to fighting the Zika virus. The single-dose vaccine proved effective in triggering an immune response that prevented later infection by Zika virus.
A study by UC Davis researchers found that low levels of cytomegalovirus (CMV) significantly impact microbe and immune cell populations, influencing the immune system's response to the influenza vaccine. CMV infection also alters gut microbiota, potentially diverting resources away from other threats.
A study by researchers at IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation and University of Rome found that childhood adversity alters the immune system, increasing sensitivity to cocaine in adulthood. Exposure to psychosocial stress early in life leads to permanent changes in immune function, sensitizing the body to cocaine's effects.
Researchers developed an imaging technique to assess immune system changes in monkeys infected with a simian form of HIV. The study revealed that CD4+ T-cell levels in tissues vary from blood levels, challenging the notion of the gut as a major target for SIV infection.
A combination treatment has safely enhanced the ability of the immune system to fight infections in the elderly, reducing their incidence by a year. The treatment, which inhibits TORC1 protein complex, showed improved immune response towards seasonal influenza vaccine, paving the way for therapies targeting infectious diseases.
Scientists have discovered a class of 'danger signals' that trigger an efficient immune response in newborns, potentially reducing vaccine administration age and booster injections. This breakthrough aims to improve pediatric vaccine efficacy and protect more infants and young children from infections.
Researchers are testing whether drastically cutting calories twice a week can change MS symptoms. A study found that intermittent fasting reduced MS-like symptoms in mice, with changes in immune cells and gut microbiome.
A study by Drs. Smithey and Nikolich-Žugich found that mice infected with cytomegalovirus had a more robust immune response to subsequent infections. This suggests that the virus may be able to harness the immune system's existing capacity, rather than weakening it as previously thought.
A woman's experience of chronic pain in her left knee, thigh, and hip after getting a tattoo has led doctors to warn patients with compromised immune systems about the potential risks. Inflammatory myopathy, a condition characterized by muscle weakness and pain, was diagnosed after a biopsy revealed inflammation in her thigh muscle.
A new AI model, CytoReason, has created the largest library of inter-cellular communications, mapping over 3,000 previously unlisted cellular interactions. This analysis provides valuable clues for drug development and sheds light on immune system dynamics.
Researchers identify dominant immune cells contributing to tumor tolerance and find that silencing these cells allows T cell attack on tumors. Jointly inhibiting both cell types substantially inhibits tumor growth in mouse models.
Researchers found a genetic difference in people with African and European ancestry that affects inflammation response. The study suggests malaria's evolutionary pressure shaped the immune system's adaptation, which may still influence health disparities today.
Researchers discovered that cytomegalovirus can infect the iris of mouse eyes, causing chronic inflammation and long-lasting eye problems. The virus remains dormant for months after infection, prompting a reevaluation of its effects on healthy individuals and potentially misdiagnosed conditions.
A study published in Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology found that people taking immunosuppressant drugs are less likely to develop Parkinson's disease. Corticosteroids such as prednisone reduced the risk by 20%, while IMDH inhibitors were about one-third less effective.
Researchers at Monash University have developed a hand-made super-microscope capable of seeing the building blocks of bacterial cell walls. This discovery has shed light on how bacteria evade the immune system, providing key knowledge to disarm superbug resistance.
Researchers at the University of Vienna discovered a mechanism that regulates HSCs' delicate balance between activation and dormancy, ensuring proper blood cell production. The study found that a feedback loop involving two intracellular signalling pathways maintains this balance, preventing exhaustion and potential death.
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine found that mosquito saliva alone can trigger long-lasting immune responses in humanized mice, including activation of T helper cells and diverse cytokine levels. The study offers insights into developing effective strategies to prevent mosquito-borne diseases.
Researchers have discovered that mosquito saliva can trigger a prolonged immune response in humans, detected up to 7 days after a bite. The study found that the proteins in mosquito saliva interact with human immune cells, leading to changes in cytokine levels and T helper cell responses.
A high-fiber diet increases survival in influenza-infected mice by setting the immune system at a healthy level of responsiveness. It also boosts antiviral immunity by activating T cells, mediated by changes in gut bacteria composition.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Cancer Center have made a breakthrough discovery that could improve immune therapy for triple-negative breast cancer. They found that a protein called Eya3 plays a key role in activating PD-L1, which helps cancer cells evade the immune system.
Flesh-eating disease causes necrotizing fasciitis, a condition where bacteria exploit nerve communication between the nervous and immune systems. Researchers found two approaches involving nerve modulation that could prevent infections and halt disease progression.
Researchers at the University of Birmingham have identified a unique type of immune cell that can combat viral infections. These unconventional V-delta-2 lymphocytes are present at birth and increase in numbers during viral infections, becoming licensed to kill and accessing tissues to detect and destroy virally infected target cells.
A study published in Toxicological Sciences suggests that exposure to fracking chemicals during pregnancy may impair female offspring's ability to fend off diseases. Fracking chemicals have been found in ground water near fracking sites and are linked to reproductive and developmental defects, hormone disruption, and immune system damage.
A new study reveals that a polydnavirus suppresses the defense mechanisms of both caterpillar hosts and plant hosts, allowing parasitic wasps to thrive. The virus reduces glucose oxidase in caterpillars' saliva, triggering lower enzyme activity and defense-gene expression in plants.
A study by Stanford University School of Medicine investigators found that older people's immune cells receive a fuzzier set of instructions, leading to reduced effectiveness. The researchers analyzed hundreds of millions of immune cells using a new method to determine the impact of environmental factors on aging and disease.
Researchers found that an immune-system generated molecule called nitric oxide (NO) inhibits the ability of Staphylococcus aureus to transform from a benign colonizing state to its virulent form, producing toxins. NO may play a key role in preventing staph infections by blocking quorum-sensing systems.
A new study from UCSF reveals the fetal immune system can trigger preterm labor when it mistakenly identifies the mother's cells as foreign. The researchers found activated immune cells in the cord blood of preterm infants and higher levels of inflammatory chemicals, leading to uterine contractions.
Research from the University of Bath found that exercise can increase immune cells and improve response to flu jabs, contradicting a long-held myth. The study suggests that low numbers of immune cells after exercise are not a sign of suppression, but rather a signal that cells are working in other parts of the body.
Scientists at Goethe University Frankfurt explore cryobiology's social and biological impacts, including 'suspended life', and study immune defense mechanisms to understand pathogens' evasion strategies.
A study found that tumors may overcome immunotherapy by increasing TIM3 and regulatory T cells, which inactivate immune killer T cells. Adding a TIM3 inhibitor to radiotherapy/immunotherapy increased response duration, but tumors still relapsed. Researchers also discovered that Tregs contribute to cancer regrowth.
Researchers at Garvan Institute of Medical Research found that a population of 'bad' antibodies, usually silenced due to harm to the body, can be activated to fight disease. The 'redeemed' antibodies become powerful weapons to combat diseases evading the immune system by disguising themselves as normal body tissue.
Researchers at Lund University found that migratory birds have a less variable immune system than sedentary birds, possibly due to the reduced diversity of pathogens in their breeding grounds. This adaptation could provide a survival advantage, as dealing with multiple pathogens is often difficult for birds when they first encounter them.
A promising class of drugs, known as CD40 monoclonal antibodies, could be the spark needed to light the fire in the immune system of patients who don't respond to cancer immunotherapies. These drugs activate antigen-presenting cells to prime tumor-specific T cell responses.
Gonorrhoea superbugs have developed resistance to all known antibiotics, targeting human immune cells called macrophages. Monash researchers discovered the mechanism of evasion, which could lead to new strategies for combating gonorrhea infection.
A new study discovered an antibody that can prevent tumors from shedding proteins the immune system uses to identify and attack them. In mouse models of melanoma and lung cancer, this antibody increased natural killer cell infiltration into tumors, reducing their load.
A researcher uses mass cytometry technology to visualize a person's immune system, creating an 'Instagram' of millions of blood cells. This technique predicts cancer treatment responses and identifies potential biomarkers for patients who will respond positively to immunotherapy.
AbeXXa Biologics has partnered with global pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim to develop a novel approach to cancer immunotherapy. The partnership aims to create personalized therapies tailored to each patient's tumor using atypical HLAs, which have less variability than classical HLAs.
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have discovered a new way to fight sepsis by boosting the immune system with a drug that increases key immune cells. The approach has shown significant and lasting improvements in patients, offering hope for improved survival rates.
Researchers discovered a crucial link between virus sensing and gene expression in plant immune systems. The Rx1-Glk1 connection enables plants to regulate their antiviral responses without overdoing it.
A smallpox outbreak could have devastating consequences in cities with high rates of immunosuppression. Experts warn that children and young people aged 0-19 years are most at risk, while older adults over 45 may experience severe disease and death.
A study in house finches reveals that immune systems can inadvertently help bacteria become stronger over time, leading to a catch-22 situation. Researchers found that birds with stronger immunity to more virulent strains were more likely to exclude low-virulence strains from future infections.
Researchers found that viruses use epigenetic regulation to mute the immune system, causing cancer cells to proliferate. By demethylating specific gene promoter regions, it may be possible to revive an immune system muted by cancer-causing viruses and increase the effectiveness of immune-based therapies.
A landmark study reveals that maternal immune system activation can shape brain development in babies, with elevated IL-6 and CRP levels correlating with changes in the salience network. The study found significant effects on infant brain function and development into toddlerhood.
A landmark study found that maternal immune system activation during pregnancy can shape brain development in infants, influencing the functioning of the salience network. Elevated inflammatory markers were correlated with changes in brain regions and persisted into toddlerhood.
A study published in JNeurosci found that a woman's immune system during pregnancy influences the development of her child's brain network, which may be linked to psychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. Higher maternal immune activation was also associated with improved cognitive ability in infants.
Researchers discovered that a subset of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are susceptible to treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway. MPNs hijack this pathway to prevent T cells from attacking malignant cells, but mutant JAK2 activation can expose a therapeutic vulnerability.
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have developed an innovative approach to treat peanut allergies by retraining the immune system using nanoparticles. The study found that delivering molecules to the lymph nodes quells allergic reactions, providing long-lasting tolerance without repeated exposures.
A new study by Gladstone Institutes researchers shows that infection sites impact the immune system's response to a virus and its spread through the body. The study found that different routes of sexual transmission trigger distinct immune responses, influencing the virus's dissemination.
Scientists used a computational model to show that sepsis treatment needs multiple-step targeting for effective therapy. The study suggests 'precision medicine' is necessary due to the complexity of individual patient responses.
A new oncolytic virus has been shown to kill cancer cells by alerting the immune system, triggering a widespread immune response that kills cancer cells beyond the infected region. Researchers have found that the virus's mechanism of action involves exposing tumor proteins, which are then detected by the immune system, leading to a pow...
A study published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry found that PFAS can inhibit a mussel's immune system, but the effects are reversible. The research highlights the importance of monitoring regions with high environmental concentrations of PFAS.
Platelets have been found to act as the immune system's first responders when a virus, bacterium, or allergen enters the bloodstream. They release serotonin, which triggers an inflammatory response in mice with antigen-antibody complexes, leading to septic or anaphylactic shock.
Researchers have identified 10 previously unknown bacterial immune defense mechanisms, which may provide new insights into the evolution of human immunity. These systems include novel Toll-Interleukin Receptor domains and genes 'borrowed' from non-defensive bacterial systems.
A UCL-led research team found that an excessive inflammation reaction in older people can obstruct the immune system, leading to weaker immune responses. Blocking this inflammation with a short-term anti-inflammatory pill increased the immune system's effectiveness.
New research published in PLOS Pathogens reveals that certain flu virus mutations can restore fitness by adding a new sugar molecule to the hemagglutinin, enabling Goldilocks binding to the host cell. This understanding improves efforts to design more effective flu vaccines.
Researchers have found a new mechanism of immunotherapy resistance that appears to be reversible, potentially enhancing the effect of current therapies. The approach targets a signaling pathway within the tumor microenvironment, which is manipulated by melanomas to silence dendritic cells.