Immune System News and Research

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BGU researchers identify probiotic yogurt-based drug candidates

Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have for the first time identified new drug candidates based on molecules isolated from probiotic Kefir yogurt for combating pathogenic bacteria and treating various inflammatory conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and COVID-19 related cytokine storms.

12 Apr 2021

Could N protein-based COVID-19 vaccines hinder SARS-CoV-2's NK cell inhibition?

Upon SARS-CoV-2 infection, what are the changes occurring on the surface of the host cell? To address this, and a team of researchers undertook a study exploring the natural killer (NK) cells and their role during a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

12 Apr 2021

COVID19's cytokine storm ushers in a local complement storm in the lungs

A new study published in the journal Science Immunology analyzed lung epithelial cells from patients infected with COVID-19 and found the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) induces the complement system as a dangerous weapon for viral infection.

12 Apr 2021

CD40 drug before surgery can benefit patients with early-stage pancreatic cancer

Giving early-stage pancreatic cancer patients a CD40 immune-stimulating drug helped jumpstart a T cell attack to the notoriously stubborn tumor microenvironment before surgery and other treatments, according to a new study from researchers in the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) at the University of Pennsylvania.

12 Apr 2021

Aneuploidy testing can be key in determining optimal treatment for lung cancer patients

Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose cancer cells have low levels of aneuploidy - an abnormal number of chromosomes - tend to respond better to immune checkpoint inhibitor drugs than patients with higher levels, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers will report at the virtual AACR Annual Meeting 2021.

12 Apr 2021

L452R and Y453F SARS-CoV-2 mutations increase transmission and evade immunity

Mutations from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have created multiple variants. Some variants, such as those found in South Africa and Brazil, have caused concern for their potential to evade the immune response. While vaccination efforts are underway, the world is racing against the viruses’ ability to evolve under selective pressure.

11 Apr 2021

Broadly neutralizing antibodies show promise in preventing tick-borne encephalitis in mice

Tick-borne encephalitis is a disease just as nasty as it sounds. Once bitten by an infected tick, some people develop flu-like symptoms that resolve quietly but leave behind rampant neurological disease--brain swelling, memory loss, and cognitive decline.

9 Apr 2021

Hay fever and asthma occur earlier in life and affect more people

The unpopular guests are already here. Hazel-, alder- and elm tree pollen sweep in over us during the early spring months, with birch pollen following in May. Then grass follows in June-July before mugwort pollen closes the season in late summer. All leading to more and more people suffering.

9 Apr 2021

Study points to the involvement of Interleukin 33 in immunity to Sars-CoV-2

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, scientists and physicians worldwide undertook enormous efforts to understand the disease caused by the virus.

9 Apr 2021

Does natural infection with SARS-CoV-2 offer more protection than a vaccine against new variants?

A new study demonstrates that vaccines may be less effective at countering the newer SARS-CoV-2 variants compared to natural infection.

9 Apr 2021

Study reveals molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

A consortium of researchers from Russia, Belarus, Japan, Germany and France led by a Skoltech scientist have uncovered the way in which Mycobacterium tuberculosis survives in iron-deficient conditions by utilizing rubredoxin B, a protein from a rubredoxin family that play an important role in adaptation to changing environmental conditions.

9 Apr 2021

Study shows how melanoma cells evade detection and destruction by immune cells

A dysfunctional immune system significantly contributes to the development of cancer. Several therapeutic strategies to activate the immune system to target cancer cells have been approved to treat different types of cancer, including melanoma.

9 Apr 2021

Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID vaccine induces cell spikes similar to SARS-CoV-2's

Scientists from the University of Oxford and the University of Southampton report in the journal ACS Central Science that cells infected with the ChAdOx1 vaccine produce spike proteins on the cells similar to those produced by natural SARS-CoV-2 infection.

9 Apr 2021

Novel mRNA delivery system produces a therapeutic protein that protects neurons from ischemia

A lack of oxygen to brain tissue--known as ischemia--leads to the death of neurons, which results in stroke. Despite considerable research, there are currently no treatments that successfully prevent neuronal death.

8 Apr 2021

Autoantibodies may contribute to severe COVID-19 and potential long-COVID-19 symptoms

New research in the USA and China. investigated how autoantibodies could mediate NETs during a COVID-19 infection. Extensive damage to the body from neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) after infection may be contributing to thromboinflammation and the symptoms experienced by COVID-19 ‘long-haulers’.

8 Apr 2021

Study: 1 in 10 people still has moderate to severe symptoms after mild COVID-19

Eight months after mild COVID-19, one in ten people still has at least one moderate to severe symptom that is perceived as having a negative impact on their work, social or home life. The most common long-term symptoms are a loss of smell and taste and fatigue.

8 Apr 2021

Researchers identify mechanism by which dermatomyositis may develop in humans

Dermatomyositis is an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy that has been regarded as an autoimmunity-based disorder, although its pathogenesis remains unclear.

8 Apr 2021

Inhibition of NLRP3 complex can reduce inflammation in melanoma patients

Cancer doctors may soon have a new tool for treating melanoma and other types of cancer, thanks to work being done by researchers at the University of Colorado Cancer Center.

8 Apr 2021

Cross-border asthma study investigates hygiene hypothesis amid COVID-19 pandemic

A cross-border investigation of children's susceptibility to asthma and other childhood illnesses in the United States and Mexico is the focus of a new study led by researchers in the Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center at the University of Arizona Health Sciences.

8 Apr 2021

Evidence of monoclonal antibodies effectively neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 variants

Makdasi et al. The neutralization potency of anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic human monoclonal antibodies is retained against novel viral variants. bioRxiv, 2021. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.04.01.438035, https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.04.01.438035v2

7 Apr 2021

Immune System News and Research

BGU researchers identify probiotic yogurt-based drug candidates

Could N protein-based COVID-19 vaccines hinder SARS-CoV-2's NK cell inhibition?

COVID19's cytokine storm ushers in a local complement storm in the lungs

CD40 drug before surgery can benefit patients with early-stage pancreatic cancer

Aneuploidy testing can be key in determining optimal treatment for lung cancer patients

L452R and Y453F SARS-CoV-2 mutations increase transmission and evade immunity

Broadly neutralizing antibodies show promise in preventing tick-borne encephalitis in mice

Hay fever and asthma occur earlier in life and affect more people

Study points to the involvement of Interleukin 33 in immunity to Sars-CoV-2

Does natural infection with SARS-CoV-2 offer more protection than a vaccine against new variants?

Study reveals molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Study shows how melanoma cells evade detection and destruction by immune cells

Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID vaccine induces cell spikes similar to SARS-CoV-2's

Novel mRNA delivery system produces a therapeutic protein that protects neurons from ischemia

Autoantibodies may contribute to severe COVID-19 and potential long-COVID-19 symptoms

Study: 1 in 10 people still has moderate to severe symptoms after mild COVID-19

Researchers identify mechanism by which dermatomyositis may develop in humans

Inhibition of NLRP3 complex can reduce inflammation in melanoma patients

Cross-border asthma study investigates hygiene hypothesis amid COVID-19 pandemic

Evidence of monoclonal antibodies effectively neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 variants

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