Immune Response News and Research

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BCG vaccine elicits trained immunity in humans

A tuberculosis vaccine developed 100 years ago also makes vaccinated persons less susceptible to other infections.

16 Jun 2020

Baylor researchers uncover a novel mechanism that triggers cellular immune response

Viruses and other disease-causing microbes influence the type of immune response their hosts will develop against them. In some cases, the predominant response involves antibodies, proteins made by the immune system that specifically recognize parts of the invading microbe and mediate its destruction.

12 Jun 2020

A protein that helps to fight viruses can also inhibit lung tissue repair

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have found that a protein which is initially helpful in the body’s immune response to a virus, can later interfere with the repair of lung tissue.

12 Jun 2020

Immune system could be 're-trained' to stop attack of healthy cells, study finds

The body's immune system can be re-wired to prevent it from recognizing its own proteins which, when attacked by the body, can cause autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis, a significant new study by UK scientists has found.

10 Jun 2020

High sodium intake affects health of gut microbiome

Particularly in females with untreated hypertension, reducing salt intake to what's considered a healthier level appears to be good for both their gut microbiome and their blood pressure, scientists report.

10 Jun 2020

Researchers identify a new subset of cells involved in immune response against hepatitis B

For the first time, researchers at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research have identified and described a new and unique subset of human cells that are involved in the immune response against hepatitis B (HBV) infection. The discovery could help develop new treatments for HBV and inform future vaccine design.

10 Jun 2020

Understanding protein-coding gene's role in IBD

A protein-coding gene associated with autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, collectively referred to as inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, will be the focus of new research in the School of Medicine at the University of California, Riverside.

9 Jun 2020

CD8+ T cells can help develop vaccines against Japanese encephalitis, Zika fever

A clinical case of Japanese encephalitis is diagnosed in over 68,000 individuals every year, leading to the death of one in four of these affected patients.

8 Jun 2020

Study shows how a fat cell's immune response exacerbates obesity

When obesity occurs, a person's own fat cells can set off a complex inflammatory chain reaction that can further disrupt metabolism and weaken immune response--potentially placing people at higher risk of poor outcomes from a variety of diseases and infections, including COVID-19.

8 Jun 2020

Researchers discover how cancer cells protect themselves from viruses

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have uncovered how cancer cells protect themselves from viruses that are harmful to tumors but not to healthy cells. These findings could lead to improved viral treatments for the disease.

2 Jun 2020

Study explores the ways parasites respond to climate change

Warming events are increasing in magnitude and severity, threatening many ecosystems worldwide. As the global temperatures continue to climb, it also raises uncertainties as to the relationship, prevalence, and spread of parasites and disease.

1 Jun 2020

The eye launches an immune response in the lens following injury

The lens of the eye is an unusual organ. Unlike most of the body's organs, blood vessels don't reach the lens. If they did, they'd obscure our vision and we wouldn't be able to see. The lack of vasculature led scientists to believe immune cells, which travel via the bloodstream, couldn't get to this part of the body either.

27 May 2020

Pre-existing genes can promote metastasis

Cancer can sometimes remain dormant, but it usually metastasizes and spreads to new sites in the body.

27 May 2020

Study shows coronavirus does not induce cross-protective immune antibodies

According to researchers, patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) or SARS-CoV-2 generate antibodies that adhere to the other coronavirus; however, the cross-reactive antibodies are not actually cross-protective, as far as cell-culture experiments are concerned.

19 May 2020

MicroRNAs play a key role in regulating the function of immune cells

According to a recent study, the ability of the immune system to mobilize specialized cells to fight against infections depends partly on small molecules.

19 May 2020

A New Brick In The Wall: Bacterial Cell Wall Intermediate Found

An accumulation of the peptidoglycan recycling pathway that is able to modulate the synthesis and structure of the cell wall has been found by researchers.

19 May 2020

Study offers a benchmark for testing potential vaccines for COVID-19

Globally, researchers are racing against time to design a vaccine to guard against the COVID-19 infection, and epidemiologists are taking efforts to predict the way the coronavirus pandemic will spread until the availability of such a vaccine.

18 May 2020

Coronavirus attacking microRNA numbers reduce with age

A group of tiny RNA that should attack the virus causing COVID-19 when it tries to infect the body are diminished with age and chronic health problems, a decrease that likely helps explain why older individuals and those with preexisting medical conditions are vulnerable populations, investigators report.

14 May 2020

Researchers identify missing component of innate immune signaling

How cells recognize pathogens and alert the immune system swiftly is a fundamental process of high importance for the survival of any species, including humans.

14 May 2020