Immune System News and Research

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Life-threatening genetic immunodeficiency reversed by a rare DNA change

Researchers have revealed how a rare DNA change rebalanced the immune system of patients with a life-threatening genetic immunodeficiency.

1 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells are key players in decreasing COVID-19 mortality

A recent US study, currently available on medRxiv preprint server, supports a beneficial rather than immunopathologic role for effector T-cells during serious infections with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) –

31 Jan 2021

Salk's NOMIS Center receives $9.5 million to grow and expand in health, immunity research

As we endure a global viral pandemic, our appreciation for health and immunity has never been greater. Now, thanks to a generous gift from the NOMIS Foundation, Salk's NOMIS Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis will receive $9.5 million to grow and expand, while continuing to be a leader in health and immunity research.

29 Jan 2021

Early-life-trauma could affect trajectory of multiple sclerosis development and treatment

Childhood trauma could affect the trajectory of multiple sclerosis development and response to treatment in adulthood, a new study in mice found.

29 Jan 2021

Researchers explore adaptive immunity against human coronaviruses

A recent study shows that long-term adaptive immunity to endemic coronaviruses is widespread, but low in magnitude, and that it shares phenotypic features of spike-specific antibodies and T cell memory across all tested coronaviruses.

29 Jan 2021

Study finds surprising defensive functions of the immune system against new viral attacks

Scientists are opening new windows into understanding more about the constantly shifting evolutionary arms race between viruses and the hosts they seek to infect.

29 Jan 2021

Vitamins and other antiviral drugs may help combat COVID-19

Evidence is emerging that vitamin D - and possibly vitamins K and A - might help combat COVID-19. A new study from the University of Bristol published in the journal of the German Chemical Society Angewandte Chemie has shown how they - and other antiviral drugs - might work.

29 Jan 2021

Study: Targeting glycoprotein could improve response to cancer immunotherapy

It was an unexpected discovery that started with an analysis of more than 1,000 genes. The question: why game-changing cancer immunotherapy treatments work for only a fraction of patients.

28 Jan 2021

Saliva-based and antibody tests expand testing capacity, track vaccine response

Mason scientists employ a rapid-result, saliva-based test that significantly expands testing capacity, and an antibody test that can track vaccine response.

28 Jan 2021

Melatonin synthesized in the lungs acts as a barrier against SARS-CoV-2

Melatonin synthesized in the lungs acts as a barrier against SARS-CoV-2, preventing expression of genes that encode proteins in cells such as resident macrophages in the nose and pulmonary alveoli, and epithelial cells lining the alveoli, all of which are entry points for the virus.

28 Jan 2021

Ebola survivors experienced a resurgence in antibody levels after recovery

A high proportion of survivors of Ebola experienced a resurgence in antibody levels nearly a year after recovery, a new University of Liverpool study has found.

27 Jan 2021

Study provides a detailed look at vulnerable sites on SARS-CoV-2

A new study led by scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) suggests that T cells try to fight SARS-CoV-2 by targeting a broad range of sites on the virus--beyond the key sites on the virus's spike protein.

27 Jan 2021

Researchers figure out how the immune system keeps tabs on the brain

Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, autism, schizophrenia and many other neurological and psychiatric conditions have been linked to inflammation in the brain.

27 Jan 2021

Temperature, latitude correlate with COVID-19 cases and mortality rates

With cities around the globe locking down yet again amid soaring COVID-19 numbers, could seasonality be partially to blame? New research from the University of Illinois says yes.

27 Jan 2021

IU researchers identify how breast cancer cells evade immune attacks

Researchers at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified how breast cancer cells hide from immune cells to stay alive. The discovery could lead to better immunotherapy treatment for patients.

27 Jan 2021

Cleveland Clinic receives two grants to study therapeutic potential of anti-cancer drug in Alzheimer's

The National Institute of Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation awarded five-year grants of $3.2 million and $1.4 million, respectively, to scientists from Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health to study the therapeutic potential of the anti-cancer drug lenalidomide in early-stage Alzheimer's disease, known as mild cognitive impairment.

27 Jan 2021

Anakinra shows therapeutic potential in critically ill COVID-19 patients

A team of international scientists recently conducted an open-level clinical trial to investigate the effects of personalized immunotherapy on critically ill COVID-19 patients.

27 Jan 2021

If I have cancer, dementia or MS, should i get the covid vaccine?

As public demand grows for limited supplies of covid-19 vaccines, questions remain about the vaccines' appropriateness for older adults with various illnesses.

27 Jan 2021

Purdue University-affiliated startup receives NSF grant to study severe COVID-19 cases

A Purdue University-affiliated startup is receiving national support to pursue a strategy to treat severe COVID-19 cases and possible future outbreaks involving other viruses.

27 Jan 2021

Certain malaria parasites use a mechanism to cross the blood–brain barrier

Malaria is one of the most common causes of death in children in Africa and is triggered by a small parasite that lives in the blood. When the parasite builds up in the blood vessels of the brain, it develops into one of the most dangerous forms of the disease, cerebral malaria.

27 Jan 2021