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.
Exposure to the heavy metal cadmium is known to irritate the stomach and lungs or cause kidney disease, but new research links another health issue to inadvertently ingesting low doses of the pollutant: high activation of the antibodies that cause an allergic response.
Researchers identified a greatly potent monoclonal antibody that aims at the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2.
Opioids are a class of substances that control sensations such as pain and emotions in animals. While plant-derived opioid narcotics such as morphine are the most well-recognized, other opioid molecules like endorphins can also be synthesized by the body or artificially developed in laboratories.
Mast cell precursor cells do not just cause an increase in mature mast cells during inflammation, they also play an active role in diseases like asthma. This finding is in a new study by immunology researchers published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
New discoveries about a built-in rapid reaction system that triggers inflammatory responses when people are exposed to allergens, such as insects, mites, and fungi, also may hold the keys to helping more people manage their allergies in years to come.
The efficacy of multiple vaccine candidates that target three filoviruses responsible for life-threatening infections to humans has been demonstrated in monkeys.
New research conducted in monkeys reveals that T cells are not critical for the recovery of primates from acute COVID-19 infections.
Scientists have created an “atlas” that charts how 152 different antibodies attack a major piece of the SARS-CoV-2 machinery, the spike protein.
A new University of Iowa study suggests that metabolism of plant-based dietary substances by specific gut bacteria, which are lacking in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), may provide protection against the disease.
Researchers are about to welcome a new one-stop shop for crucial information on how the immune system targets cancers.
Bisphenol F chemical (found in plastics) may cause changes in a gene that is crucial for neurological development. Researchers from the Swedish universities of Uppsala and Karlstad made this discovery.
For a long time, James McKerrow, MD, PhD, dean of the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of California San Diego, has investigated neglected tropical diseases, which are chronic, disabling parasitic infections mainly affecting the poor and underserved communities in developing nations.
The faster-spreading B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 first detected in the United Kingdom, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, is quickly on its way to becoming the dominant variant of the virus in the United States, according to a study from scientists at Scripps Research and the COVID-19 test maker Helix.
In this interview, AZoLifeSciences speaks to Dr. Ben Wheeler about his latest research and how we monitor pollen levels using environmental DNA.
Asthma is a condition in which a person’s airways turn hyperresponsive.
Pollen from grass is a significant outdoor allergen that causes widespread and expensive respiratory conditions, such as hay fever (rhinitis) and allergic asthma.
Researchers at Henry Ford Health System, as part of a national asthma collaborative, have identified a gene variant associated with childhood asthma that underscores the importance of including diverse patient populations in research studies.
AZoLifeSciences speaks to Professor William Anderegg about his latest research into climate change and how it is affecting the allergy season.
A City of Hope-led research team found that the same gene that increases the risk for Alzheimer's disease, ApoE4, can increase the susceptibility to and severity of COVID-19.
A new study out of the University of Chicago and Stanford University on pairs of twins with and without food allergies has identified potential microbial players in this condition. The results were published on Jan. 19 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.