Immune System News and Research

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Disinfectants could be helping bacteria to become resistant

News-Medical speaks to Professor Robert Bragg about disinfectants and how they could be helping bacteria to become resistant.

22 Feb 2021

New rodent model helps identify pregnant women whose prior kidney injury also affects babies

Young pregnant women, who appear to have fully recovered from an acute injury that reduced their kidney function, have higher rates of significant problems like preeclampsia and low birthweight babies, problems which indicate their kidneys have not actually fully recovered.

22 Feb 2021

Polyphenols may provide protective effect against COVID-19 disease

In the study published in the journal Integrative Physiology, the researchers found that a high intake of polyphenols may have a protective effect on patients with COVID-19 and prevent disease progression.

22 Feb 2021

Novel SARS-CoV-2 vaccine utilizes recombinant spike protein with PIKA adjuvant

The primary aim of any vaccine is to stimulate immune functions and confer long-lasting protection. A paper recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv by Tong et al. (17th Feb 2021) describes a novel vaccine utilizing PIKA adjuvant and recombinant spike proteins against COVID-19 disease that promises the generation of potent neutralization antibodies, which potentially support immune responses for years.

21 Feb 2021

Experts advocate for increased diversity in vaccine clinical trials

A team of scientific experts from across the U.S. and Puerto Rico are advocating for increased diversity in vaccine trials after publishing a new report that highlights a decade's worth of disparities.

20 Feb 2021

Researchers use zebrafish to study cancer-immune interactions

Cancer researcher Rita Fior uses zebrafish to study human cancer. Though this may seem like an unlikely match, her work shows great promise with forthcoming applications in personalized medicine.

19 Feb 2021

Study: First influenza infection does not make people immune to future flu viruses

A child's first influenza infection shapes their immunity to future airborne flu viruses-;including emerging pandemic strains.

19 Feb 2021

Levels of IgG antibodies may influence COVID-19 outcomes

COVID-19, the source of the current pandemic, may be caused by a single virus, but it has a variety of presentations that make treatment difficult. Children, for example, almost exclusively experience mild or asymptomatic COVID-19, while adults can develop severe or even fatal COVID-19.

19 Feb 2021

Trispecific antibody targets cancer cells, natural killer cells

Several treatments for cancer have been devised by science, but unfortunately none of them are completely efficient or foolproof.

19 Feb 2021

Immune response to SARS-CoV-2 may be limited by a set of genes

Neutralizing antibodies develop within two weeks of a SARS-CoV-2 infection, but their durability and intensity can vary by individual, prompting concerns about the prospects of long-lasting immunity and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

18 Feb 2021

O-glycosylation of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in insect and human cell lines

The mapping of O-glycosites requires instruments that can support electron transfer dissociation (ETD) fragmentation. In a new study published on the bioRxiv preprint server, researchers report their results on whether O-glycosylation patterns affect immunogens for vaccine development.

18 Feb 2021

Early immunosuppressive biomarkers could predict bone regeneration after trauma

An abnormal suppression of the immune system linked to the onset of numerous diseases has been associated with poor functional regeneration of traumatic bone injuries.

18 Feb 2021

Researchers use high-resolution imaging to observe HIV infection process in the cell nucleus

Scientists at EMBL Heidelberg and at the Zentrum für Infektiologie at Heidelberg University Hospital have succeeded for the first time in imaging HIV during transport into the nucleus of an infected cell.

18 Feb 2021

Clinical trial launched to analyze bovine-derived immunoglobulins for preventing COVID-19 side effects

The Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Hospital del Mar, the University of California-Davis and the University of Texas have launched a clinical trial to analyze how useful a food supplement can be for preventing the worst side effects of COVID-19.

18 Feb 2021

Modified therapeutic molecule enhances stroke treatment

A research team from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) has improved the protective effect of a molecule against ischemic stroke, which is caused by an interruption of blood flow to the brain.

18 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 D614G mutation associated with lower antibody binding

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about an international effort to uncover the biology of its causative agent, SARS-CoV-2, and to develop effective and safe antivirals to contain and treat the infection. A new study by a team of researchers in France and Sweden discusses one such study, exploring the relative immunogenicity of the three main structural proteins of the virus.

18 Feb 2021

Are antibody cocktails the key to COVID-19 treatment?

News-Medical speaks to Dr. Natalia Freund about her latest research into COVID-19, and how most people are capable of producing neutralizing antibodies against the virus.

18 Feb 2021

Tuberculosis vaccine could protect newborns against common infections

The tuberculosis (TB) vaccine Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) could protect newborns against a variety of common infections, such as upper respiratory tract infections, chest infections and diarrhoea, according to a new study in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

18 Feb 2021

Researchers identify antibody that removes amyloid plaques without the risk of brain bleeds

As people age, a normal brain protein known as amyloid beta often starts to collect into harmful amyloid plaques in the brain. Such plaques can be the first step on the path to Alzheimer's dementia.

18 Feb 2021

Advancements in DNA vaccines against COVID-19

The rapid spread of the pathogen and the increasing number of cases highlight the need for an effective and safe vaccine. As vaccination efforts roll out in many countries, new types of vaccines, like deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) vaccines, are under research..

17 Feb 2021