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The term allergy encompasses a wide range of conditions; it is not a disease in itself. In 1906 Clemens von Pirquet was the first to describe allergies as a changed or altered reaction of the immune system in response to exposure to foreign proteins. These days the term allergy – medically termed hypersensitivity, signifies an exaggerated reaction to foreign substances.

Mapping Spatial Genome Architecture Unlocks Hidden Biological Mechanisms Behind Genetic Risk

Much of how genetic risk leads to disease has remained hidden. In many cases, genetic variants linked to disease do not act on nearby genes along the chromosome. Instead, they influence genes located far away along the DNA sequence.

5 Aug 2026

Natural Product Derivatives Show High Potency Against Drug-Resistant Malaria Strains

Parasites are becoming highly resistant to existing drugs, and hence scientists at the University of California, Riverside are developing new drugs for the two major parasitic infectious diseases—babesiosis and malaria.

3 Aug 2026

Dengue Virus Replicates Inside Memory B Cells to Evade Immunity

Researchers at the University of Vermont Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine and Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY, have discovered that dengue virus can infect and replicate inside memory B cells, immune cells traditionally understood to help protect the body from infection.

28 Jul 2026

Innovative Bioelectronic Ear Devices Offer New Hope for Asthma Relief

Neuroimmunology, the study of interactions between the nervous and immune systems, is a rapidly growing field enabling new approaches for monitoring and treating inflammatory diseases.

16 Jul 2026

UC Riverside Identifies How Tick Borne Viruses Evade Immunity

A study led by a University of California, Riverside biomedical scientist shows how a family of tick-borne viruses known as orthonairoviruses can evade immune defenses, offering important insights into emerging infectious disease threats and the potential pandemic risk posed by these viruses.

15 Jul 2026

New Microbiome Study Reveals Natural Defense Mechanism Restricting Candida Albicans

A metabolic byproduct formed when gut bacteria break down dietary fiber appears to protect against dangerous fungal infections common in immunocompromised patients, a study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers shows.

15 Jul 2026

Scientists Identify Biological Link Between Low Birth Weight and Chronic Disease

Researchers have long sought to discover why babies who weigh less than expected at birth, a condition known as small for gestational age, or SGA, are at higher risk for heart, lung and metabolic diseases as adults.

3 Jul 2026

New Research Identifies Gut Fungi as Markers for Food Allergies

Two new studies jointly published in Nature: The Clinical Microbiome reveal that certain species of fungi in the gut play a key role in the development of immune dysregulation and some pediatric allergic diseases - and may be promising targets for new therapies.

24 Jun 2026

Scientists Decode How T Cells Stop Deadly Viruses

T cells are among the immune system’s essential soldiers. They can inhibit tumor development and even combat serious infections.

3 Jun 2026

Scientists Find Key Genetic Boundary That Dictates Immune System Failure

Not all broken genes fail in the same way: some simply stop working, while others interfere with what still works.

22 May 2026

Influenza D Virus Shows Potential to Infect Human Cells

The influenza D virus that researchers say has been flying under the radar since its detection in animals in 2011 can vigorously make copies of itself in human cells and lung tissue samples, a new study shows.

27 Apr 2026

Cysteine Pathways Shape T Cell Expansion and Cancer Defense

A research team from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have discovered how the immune system's CD8+ T cells use the nutrient cysteine to control two essential functions that compete for this resource - the immune cell's ability to multiply and its ability to kill cancer cells.

1 Apr 2026

New Insights Into Antibody Glycans may Advance Tuberculosis Prevention

Certain antibodies inhibit Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the cause of tuberculosis (TB), the infectious disease that claims the most lives worldwide, a study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers found.

23 Feb 2026

Intelectin-2: A Dual-Action Lectin Fortifies Gut Barrier and Fights Bacteria

The mucosal surfaces that line the body are embedded with defensive molecules that help keep microbes from causing inflammation and infections.

14 Jan 2026

New CHANGE-seq-BE Method Sharpens Safety Assessment of CRISPR Base Editors

Scientists and physicians can better assess precision genome editing technology using a new method made public today by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

5 Jan 2026

Senescent Fibroblasts in the Tumor Niche Rewire Lung Cancer Metabolism and Plasticity

Senescent fibroblasts are aging cells that no longer divide and protect against tumor development. Yet two decades have gone by since cell biologist Judith Campisi, PhD, paradoxically demonstrated that these same cells can promote cancer growth in a laboratory setting.

5 Dec 2025

Researchers Develop High-Throughput Technique to Decode T-Cell Receptors

Studying T cells, the immune cells most responsible for responding to infections and cancers, just received a significant boost in the form of a new technique from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

25 Nov 2025

Scientists Build a Genetic Map to Predict Bacterial Resistance Mechanisms

The bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) is a haunting presence in many hospitals in the United States, where more than one in 100 patients are treated for A. baumannii infections.

10 Nov 2025

Small Viral Protein ORF3a Reveals Big Role in SARS-CoV-2 Infectivity

In a recent study published in Nature Communications, researchers from the University of Chicago discovered that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) uses a small but powerful protein, ORF3a, to assemble the infectious particles, making it more efficient at spreading the disease.

29 Jul 2025

Pathogenic Bacteria Choose Food Over Fear in the Human Gut

Bacteria that cause intestinal infections typically avoid a stinky chemical - one that can kill them at high enough concentrations - inside human intestines, but they may actually swim toward it when a hearty meal is the reward.

16 Jul 2025