Immune Response News and Research

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Protein known to mediate cell death plays a key role in maturation and release of interleukin-1α

Interluekin-1α (IL-1α) is an important part of the immune response, but until now it has been unclear how this molecule is processed from its precursor, pro-IL-1α, and exits the cell during inflammasome activation.

21 Jun 2021

New technique boosts the efficacy of future malaria vaccines

A new technique for obtaining pure malaria parasites from infected mosquitos could speed up the development of novel, more powerful malaria vaccinations.

21 Jun 2021

Kirigami-inspired stent could deliver drugs to tubular organs

Inspired by kirigami, the Japanese art of folding and cutting paper to create three-dimensional structures, MIT engineers and their collaborators have designed a new type of stent that could be used to deliver drugs to the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, or other tubular organs in the body.

From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 15 Jun 2021

Commonly used antidepressant drugs can also help the immune system to attack cancer

A class of drug called monoamine oxidase inhibitors is commonly prescribed to treat depression; the medications work by boosting levels of serotonin, the brain's "happiness hormone."

10 Jun 2021

Study reveals how coronavirus aerosols flow through the lower lungs

When we inhale isolated coronavirus particles, more than 65% reach the deepest region of our lungs where damage to cells can lead to low blood oxygen levels, new research has discovered, and more of these aerosols reach the right lung than the left.

8 Jun 2021

Some Type 2 diabetes patients could benefit from bone marrow stem cell transplants, study shows

Type 2 diabetes patients who are not overweight and who have had the disorder for less than a decade can benefit from stromal stem cells transplanted from their own bone marrow, according to a study published today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine.

4 Jun 2021

Worm cells sense metabolism changes to stimulate their defense against pathogens

Microbial infections form part of the wider repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, and researchers are focusing more on such infections.

1 Jun 2021

Novel drug is highly effective in preventing severe COVID-19 in mice

The drug diABZI -- which activates the body's innate immune response -- was highly effective in preventing severe COVID-19 in mice that were infected with SARS-CoV-2,

31 May 2021

Study finds unique molecular mechanism by which Hepatitis C virus evades host’s immune system

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) can cause chronic liver infection, which can lead to irreparable liver damage and liver cancer.

From Osaka University 27 May 2021

Genetic and molecular mechanisms make chemotherapy drug work for some cancer patients

The chemotherapy drug decitabine is commonly used to treat patients with blood cancers, but its response rate is somewhat low. Researchers have now identified why this is the case, opening the door to more personalized cancer therapies for those with these types of cancers, and perhaps further afield.

25 May 2021

“Paralyzed” immune cells can be reactivated by drugs in IDH-mutant gliomas

Brain tumor cells with a certain common mutation reprogram invading immune cells. This leads to the paralysis of the body's immune defense against the tumor in the brain. Researchers from Heidelberg, Mannheim, and Freiburg discovered this mechanism and at the same time identified a way of reactivating the paralyzed immune system to fight the tumor.

25 May 2021

Food dyes may cause disease when the immune system is dysregulated

Artificial food colorants can cause disease when the immune system has become dysregulated, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai researchers report.

14 May 2021

New, patented method helps drugs to easily enter the cells

A new technique known as Progressive Mechanoporation allows genes or drugs to enter cells by mechanically disrupting cell membranes for a brief period.

13 May 2021

Scientists identify the language the body uses to marshal responses to threats

UCLA life scientists have identified six "words" that specific immune cells use to call up immune defense genes -- an important step toward understanding the language the body uses to marshal responses to threats.

13 May 2021

Novel peptide could allow cannabis to relieve pain while avoiding side effects

Many people live with chronic pain, and in some cases, cannabis can provide relief. But the drug also can significantly impact memory and other cognitive functions.

13 May 2021

Newly designed higher affinity monoclonal antibody for cancer treatment

Recently, Prof. XIE Can from the High Magnetic Field Laboratory of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS), in a collaboration with Prof. YAN Xiyun's lab from the Institute of Biophysics, reported the structural basis of mAb AA98's inhibition on CD146-mediated endothelial cells (EC) activation and designed higher affinity monoclonal antibody HA98 for cancer treatment.

10 May 2021

Study suggests that bubonic plague had long-term impact on human immune genes

Scientists examining the remains of 36 bubonic plague victims from a 16th century mass grave in Germany have found the first evidence that evolutionary adaptive processes, driven by the disease, may have conferred immunity on later generations of people from the region.

7 May 2021