Immune System News and Research

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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

Nonviral Nanoparticles Show Promise for Safer Gene Delivery Methods

In a demonstration that helps pave the way for gene therapies with fewer side effects, several human cell types were genetically modified with protein nanoparticles designed at University of Michigan Engineering and Michigan Medicine.

1 Apr 2026

How To Create Long-Lasting Immune Cells For Stronger Vaccines

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine have identified a potential approach to develop longer-lasting vaccines for respiratory viruses such as influenza and the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

1 Apr 2026

Study Reveals How Trypanosomes Fine-Tune Protein Production Through Destruction

To survive in the human bloodstream, the African trypanosome parasite wears a "cloak" made of proteins known as a variant surface glycoprotein (VSG). The study, published in Nature Microbiology, identifies the protein that allows the parasite to fine-tune this "cloak".

31 Mar 2026

Sweat Peptide Dermcidin Prevents Flu Virus Entry Into Cells

A research team led by the Fisabio Foundation has demonstrated that dermcidin, an antimicrobial peptide produced constitutively by the human body, also exhibits antiviral activity against the influenza virus. The study also shows that people who do not develop flu-like symptoms have higher baseline levels of this molecule, which could be associated with lower susceptibility to infection.

31 Mar 2026

Identifying the Cellular Origin of MS-Related Neuroinflammation

Signals from the gut have been linked to autoimmune inflammation, but fundamental cellular processes remain poorly understood.

30 Mar 2026

Study Explains How LACTIN-V Reduces Recurrent Bacterial Vaginosis

A new study from the Kwon Lab at the Ragon Institute, published in Cell Host & Microbe, provides the most detailed picture yet of how a promising bacterial therapy works to prevent recurrent bacterial vaginosis (BV) and why it works better for some women than others.

30 Mar 2026

Implantable Cell Factory Device Delivers Sustained Biologic Drug Production

Implanting living cells as long-term drug producers could transform treatment for numerous diseases, but it is difficult to house the tiny workers in quantities high enough to ensure dosage needs are met while also keeping the cells alive and thriving.

28 Mar 2026

Study Reveals How STING Protein Migrates to Trigger Immune Responses

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified how the quintessential immune protein known as stimulator of interferon genes (STING) migrates from one cellular organelle to another, a necessary step in its activation.

27 Mar 2026

New Skin Atlas Reveals Cellular Diversity Across Body Sites

Mount Sinai researchers have published the first organ-wide human skin spatial atlas from across the body.

26 Mar 2026

Genetic Study Maps E. coli Capsules Behind Severe Infections

The first large-scale genetic study of E. coli's protective armor has identified the five capsule types that are responsible for 70 per cent of all multidrug-resistant bloodstream infections in Europe.

26 Mar 2026

New Mechanism Links Mitochondria Dysfunction to T Cell Exhaustion

The immune system's killer T cells do a commendable job of detecting and destroying cancer cells. But the harsh environment at the heart of tumors often saps them of their vitality, pushing them into a state of permanent lassitude called "terminal exhaustion."

23 Mar 2026

'Spiderman' Cells Trap Viral Genomes With Sticky Protein Webs

Scientists have identified a cell defense mechanism that mimics Spiderman shooting his web to ensnare enemies.

18 Mar 2026

Microbiome Changes Reveal Hidden Stress Responses in Songbirds

Every animal carries a microscopic community of bacteria, fungi and other microbes that play a critical role in health.

16 Mar 2026

Unexpected SRC Localization Offers Promising Target for Cancer Therapies

For five decades, scientists have known about a notorious cancer-causing enzyme called SRC. But they always assumed it only appeared on the inside of cells, where it sent signals that fueled tumor growth and stayed hidden from the immune system.

16 Mar 2026

New Method Reveals How Tumors Rewire Genetic Splicing Programs

Cancer is caused by faulty genes, but what also shapes a cancer cell's behaviour is how a gene's instructions are trimmed and rearranged before they are turned into the proteins that keep a cell alive.

13 Mar 2026

Study Reveals How Altering Cancer’s Protein Machinery Stimulates Antitumor Immunity

A new study led by Pierre Close's team (GIGA, Laboratory of Cancer Signaling, and WELRI Investigator) reveals how subtly disrupting the way tumors produce their proteins can trigger a potent antitumor immune response.

12 Mar 2026

Study Reveals Microbiome Role in Protecting the Colon From Tissue Injury

The gut microbiome-the trillions of bacteria and other microbes that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract-drives a process vital for protecting the colon against tissue injury, according to the findings of a study co-led by Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University investigators.

11 Mar 2026

ANKIB1 Identified as the Essential Master Switch for Innate Immunity

Innate immune sensors – known as pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) – detect specific molecular components of bacterial or viral intruders.

9 Mar 2026

Genetically Engineered Stem Cells Successfully Overcome Immune Rejection in Mice

A study published today in Stem Cell Reports demonstrates that genetically engineered human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) can overcome immune rejection in mice with humanized immune systems, surviving for five months in a stringent transplantation model.

6 Mar 2026