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New high-quality assay can be used in at-home tests for rapid COVID-19 screening

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have designed a high-quality assay that can be used in at-home tests for rapid COVID-19 screening.

4 Jan 2022

Researchers grow intestinal organoids to study why bats infected with viruses do not succumb to diseases

Experiments attempting to explain why bats can be infected with many viruses at a time without succumbing to diseases such as COVID-19-;knowledge that could help us to reduce the threat to humans of infectious disease-;have struggled until now with the fact that live wild bats make poor research subjects.

30 Dec 2021

Researchers uncover a new signaling pathway essential for T cell viability

They are at the forefront in the fight against viruses, bacteria, and malignant cells: the T cells of our immune system. But the older we get, the fewer of them our body produces.

23 Dec 2021

Researchers identify genes responsible for “spinach teeth”

People are generally familiar with “spinach teeth,” the harmless but gritty-chalky mouthfeel triggered because of a vegetable.

23 Dec 2021

Infant's immune system may be better than the adult immune system

As any parent knows, infants are prone to getting respiratory infections. But a new study shows that the infant immune system is stronger than most people think and beats the adult immune system at fighting off new pathogens.

13 Dec 2021

Multiple exposure enhances antibody efficacy against COVID-19 variants

Antibodies produced by the immune system against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein help pinpoint and avoid future infections.

13 Dec 2021

Study reveals mechanism by which infections strengthen the immune system

Over time, the immune system in humans weakens making older adults more prone to infections. This leaves researchers with the puzzling dilemma of retaining health throughout the lifespan.

7 Dec 2021

Immune cells in the brain mediate the link between gut microbiome and amyloid beta deposits

New research from the University of Chicago points to microglia, key immune cells in the brain, as a key mediator in the relationship between the gut microbiome and b-amyloid deposits in male mice in a model of Alzheimer's disease.

3 Dec 2021

Biologists discover how a pathogenic fungus can bypass the immune system of plants

A team of biologists has identified that the pathogenic fungus Verticillium dahliae, responsible for wilt disease in many crops, secretes an 'effector' molecule to target the microbiome of plants to promote infection.

3 Dec 2021

Experts create new software that determines a person’s past infections

Recent research suggested that grouping of pathogen-recognizing proteins on immune T cells might be vital in pinpointing if an individual had an infection in the past.

2 Dec 2021

Experts investigate adaptations that confer antibiotic resistance to pathogens

Researchers anticipate that without intervention, the issue of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections could become catastrophic by 2050.

25 Nov 2021

Antimicrobial compounds from soybean plants may help animals stay healthy

Antimicrobial compounds that soybean plants produce when threatened by insects, diseases and even drought may help animals stay healthy, thereby reducing the need for antibiotics.

25 Nov 2021

Study unravels how plants respond differently to useful and harmful microbes

Plants interact with a diversity of organisms over the course of their lifetime, but even very similar microbes can cause opposite reactions.

24 Nov 2021

New details about Shigella's translocon may help develop effective strategy to block infection

Shigella, a bacterial pathogen that causes dysentery and is the leading cause of childhood diarrheal diseases, inserts a pore called a translocon into an infected person's intestinal cells and then injects bacterial proteins into the cells.

24 Nov 2021

MIT researchers identify a way to indirectly activate T cells to fight tumors

Under the right circumstances, the body's T cells can detect and destroy cancer cells. However, in most cancer patients, T cells become disarmed once they enter the environment surrounding a tumor.

22 Nov 2021

Study unravels unknown facts about SARS-CoV-2 infection

Around 3%–10% of the individuals infected by the SARS-CoV-2 experience moderate to severe disease.

1 Nov 2021

New eToeholds could make RNA therapeutics more safer and effective

RNAs are best known as the molecules that translate information encoded in genes into proteins with their myriad of activities.

29 Oct 2021

Nonpathogenic strain of C. acnes improves skin's resistance against infection-causing bacteria

Cutibacterium acnes, a bacteria that is known to cause acne, is also widely spread on people with healthy skin.

28 Oct 2021

Research reveals new mechanism by which plants can rapidly activate defenses against infections

New work led by Carnegie's Kangmei Zhao and Sue Rhee reveals a new mechanism by which plants are able to rapidly activate defenses against bacterial infections.

27 Oct 2021

Correction of immune system's faulty timing may offer a new strategy to prevent severe COVID-19

Once an infection is under control, the body normally uses a biochemical messenger known as TGFβ to downgrade its immune response.