Immunology News and Research

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Immunology is the study of the body's immune system.

Gene expression database sheds light on pneumococcal infection

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine published one of the most comprehensive analyses of how genes get expressed during infection (known as a transcriptome).

16 Dec 2020

Study may lead to new approaches to protect older individuals from viruses

A drug that boosts the removal of cellular debris in immune cells may increase the protective effects of vaccines in older adults, a study published today in eLife shows.

16 Dec 2020

Researchers identify new therapeutic target to fight COVID-19 disease

In COVID-19 patients with severe lung disease, targeting the endothelial cells—that is, cells comprising the blood vessel wall, which control oxygen exchange between the bloodstream and airways—may be an innovative strategy to restore normal function of the lungs.

15 Dec 2020

Scientists aim to treat and prevent disease by understanding exercise benefits

A top exercise researcher and colleagues at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have launched an ambitious effort to understand the whole-body benefits of exercise so that doctors can use that information to prevent and treat disease.

11 Dec 2020

Study reveals new target to make breast cancer more sensitive to immunotherapy

Although immunotherapy has been effective in treating different kinds of cancer, it is still unsuccessful when it comes to treating breast cancers.

11 Dec 2020

Hydrogen peroxide protects the intestinal lining from gut microbes

Scientists at UC Davis Health have discovered that an enzyme in the colon lining releases hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) - a known disinfecting compound- to protect the body from gut microbes.

From The University of California, Davis 10 Dec 2020

Obesity allows cancer cells to outcompete tumor-killing immune cells, study finds

Obesity has been linked to increased risk for over a dozen different types of cancer, as well as worse prognosis and survival.

From Harvard Medical School 10 Dec 2020

Scientists use advanced methods for investigating structure and interactions of proteins

Michael Gross, professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis and of immunology and internal medicine at the School of Medicine, and his team are experts in footprinting proteins -- that is, using advanced methods for investigating the structure and interactions of proteins within larger molecules.

8 Dec 2020

Researchers target pathogenic T cells that could lead to new immunotherapy treatments

According to a new study, a novel T cell genetically engineered by scientists from The University of Arizona Health Sciences can target and attack pathogenic T cells that are responsible for causing Type 1 diabetes. These latest findings may result in new immunotherapy therapies.

7 Dec 2020

Gasdermin E triggers pyroptosis and involved in pathogen-induced coral death

Pyroptosis is a highly inflammatory form of programmed necrotic cell death that acts as a defense mechanism against the infection of bacterial and viral pathogens. Pyroptosis is executed by gasdermin, a family of pore-forming proteins.

7 Dec 2020

Study shows metabolic state of disease-causing parasite influences its resistance to drugs

A new study has revealed how a disease-causing parasite is able to resist the present range of therapies. The study was recently published in eLife.

2 Dec 2020

Study: Gut microbiota directly shapes the makeup of human immune system

In recent years, the microbiota -- the community of bacteria and other microorganisms that live on and in the human body -- has captured the attention of scientists and the public, in part because it's become easier to study. It has been linked to many aspects of human health.

1 Dec 2020

Scientists successfully edit SIV virus from genomes of non-human primates

Taking a major step forward in HIV research, scientists at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University have successfully edited SIV - a virus closely related to HIV, the cause of AIDS - from the genomes of non-human primates.

1 Dec 2020

UofL researcher finds less toxic way to deliver medicines

University of Louisville researchers have found a less toxic way to deliver medicines by using the natural lipids in plants, particularly grapefruit and ginger.

30 Nov 2020

Study explains why immunotherapy works on certain patients with head and neck cancer

Researchers have found new clues about why certain individuals with head and neck cancer are able to respond to immunotherapy, while others fail to do so.

25 Nov 2020

Study: Benefits of immunotherapy can be improved by boosting stem cell activity

Immune-system T cells have been reprogrammed into regenerative stem cell-like memory (TSCM) cells that are long-lived, highly active "super immune cells" with strong antitumor activity, according to new research from Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

24 Nov 2020

First functional analysis of cytokine IL-15L using rainbow trout

The cytokine family including interleukin-2 and -15 (IL-2 and IL-15) started out in a primitive vertebrate species with three related cytokines IL-2, IL-15, and IL-15-like (IL-15L), all sharing binding capacity for receptor chain IL-15Rα. IL-15L was conserved in fishes, reptiles, and some mammals but lost in humans and mice.

23 Nov 2020

Genetic modification in the ‘coat’ of fatal brain virus may allow it to escape antibodies

A genetic modification in the 'coat' of a brain infection-causing virus may allow it to escape antibodies, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

23 Nov 2020

Research sheds light on T cell abnormality in critically ill COVID-19 patients

There is an idea within the coronavirus research field that there is some kind of T cell abnormality in critically ill COVID-19 patients, but specific details have not yet been clarified. To shed light on the problem, a research collaboration based in Kumamoto University (Japan) has performed a genetic analysis of T cells from lung tissue of COVID-19 patients.

23 Nov 2020

Pairs of antibodies may be more effective at preventing and treating COVID-19

Pairs of antibodies may be more effective than single antibodies at preventing and treating COVID-19, according to a new study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and The Rockefeller University in New York.

20 Nov 2020