Immune System News and Research

RSS

Which dietary supplements can help prevent COVID-19?

Researchers explore dietary supplement usage during the COVID-19 pandemic.

1 Dec 2020

How COVID-19 highlights the uncertainty of medical testing

Dr. Jacqueline Chu considered the man with a negative coronavirus test on the other end of the phone, and knew, her heart dropping, that the test result was not enough to clear him for work.

1 Dec 2020

Researchers uncover the role of protein in identifying common cold virus

The role of a protein in detecting the common cold virus and kickstarting an immune response to fight infection has been uncovered by a team of scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the National University of Singapore.

1 Dec 2020

Cancer-killing virus developed at City of Hope activates the immune system against colon cancer

City of Hope scientists have developed a cancer-killing virus by combining the oncolytic virus CF33 with an immune checkpoint inhibitor.

1 Dec 2020

Experimental stem cell gene therapy may give a new lease of life for patient with sickle cell disease

"But it's a marathon whereas you keep going, the trail gets rockier and then you lose your shoes," the 27-year-old said. "It gets harder as you get older. Things start to fail and all you can think about is how much worse it's going to get down the road."

1 Dec 2020

Multiple pregnancies may affect the body's physical aging process

Having children doesn't just make you feel like you've aged overnight -- a new study led by Penn State researchers found that the number of times a person gives birth may also affect the body's physical aging process.

1 Dec 2020

Gut microbiota directly shapes the makeup of human immune system, shows study

MSK researchers have uncovered an important finding about the relationship between the microbiota and the immune system, showing for the first time that the concentration of different types of immune cells in the blood changes in relation to the presence of different bacterial strains in the gut.

1 Dec 2020

Study demonstrates safety of novel immuno-oncology therapy in patients with advanced solid tumors

A novel therapy designed to help stimulate the body's immune system response against cancer appears to be safe to use as alone or in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

1 Dec 2020

New method could help determine the most appropriate treatment for HIV patients

A team co-led by a scientist at the University of California, Riverside, has developed a method to study how HIV mutates to escape the immune system in multiple individuals, which could inform HIV vaccine design.

30 Nov 2020

Researchers reveal how SARS-CoV-2 reaches the brain

Using post-mortem tissue samples, a team of researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have studied the mechanisms by which the novel coronavirus can reach the brains of patients with COVID-19, and how the immune system responds to the virus once it does.

30 Nov 2020

A mutant SARS-CoV-2 subspecies from minks may evade antibody detection

In a recent research letter published on the bioRxiv preprint server, scientists from Japan discovered that the mutation of spike glycoprotein in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) derived from farmed minks can also be found in the group of individuals with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and subsequently evade detection by our immune system.

30 Nov 2020

Combination therapy found to be effective against treatment-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma

A combination cancer therapy that is effective against treatment-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by inhibiting tumor growth and increasing survival has been identified by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital.

30 Nov 2020

Researchers highlight potential advantages of mucosal vaccine

Anyone who has undergone a nasal swab or saliva test for COVID-19 knows that the virus is most easily detected in the nose and mouth.

30 Nov 2020

Healthy diet plays vital role in warding off COVID-19

A researcher at the School of Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, explored nutrition's role in boosting the immune system to combat COVID-19 infection.

29 Nov 2020

Female reproductive hormones may be protective against COVID-19

In an article recently published in Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, Graziano Pinna from the University of Illinois in Chicago outlines some of the evidence suggesting that female reproductive hormones may play a role in the sex bias that has been observed in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

29 Nov 2020

Could beta-blockers be a potential treatment for COVID-19?

News-Medical spoke to researchers about their latest research into beta-blockers, and how they could potentially be used to treat COVID-19.

27 Nov 2020

N439K mutation of SARS-CoV-2 may be more infectious and antibody resistant than Wuhan strain

Researchers from the Harbin Institute of Technology, China, modeled the complexes formed between the RBD and the human ACE2 and monoclonal antibodies.

27 Nov 2020

COVID-19 studies have neglected to focus on mucosal immunity, researchers argue

Researchers suggest that COVID-19 studies should focus on how mucous membranes in the mouth and nose develop immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

27 Nov 2020

Siemens Healthineers SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody test demonstrates ability to detect neutralizing antibodies

Siemens Healthineers has announced its SARS-CoV-2 IgG Antibody Test has proven to measure neutralizing antibodies and has achieved CE Mark. The test is an enhanced version of the assay which became available globally this summer.

From Siemens Healthineers 27 Nov 2020

Immunonutrition may improve COVID-19 patients' recovery

Researchers duo Emma Derbyshire and Joanne Delange from the Nutritional Insight, Surrey, United Kingdom, explore the role of immunonutrition – nutrition that boosts or influences the immune system for those over 65 years of age in COVID-19. Their study titled, “COVID-19: is there a role for immunonutrition, particularly in the over 65s?,” was released in the latest issue of the BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health.

26 Nov 2020