Immune System News and Research

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Synthetic protein nanoparticle may treat aggressive brain cancer

A new synthetic protein nanoparticle capable of slipping past the nearly impermeable blood-brain barrier in mice could deliver cancer-killing drugs directly to malignant brain tumors, new research from the University of Michigan shows.

11 Nov 2020

Study: SphK2 enzyme regulates immune cell responses during viral infection

Viruses such as HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C evade or disrupt the immune system to create persistent infections.

11 Nov 2020

A promising vaccine for treating poorly immunogenic tumors

Patients with cancer have multiple treatment options available to them today, but each has its drawbacks. Chemotherapy kills rapidly dividing cancer cells, but it also damages healthy cells in the body and often does not effectively prevent tumor metastasis or disease recurrence.

11 Nov 2020

$4 million NIH grant supports research for tackling teenage depression

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), in 2017 approximately 13% of adolescents in the United States, or 3.2 million children aged 12 to 17, had at least one major episode of depression.

11 Nov 2020

Lowest risk for autism associated with mid-levels of immune marker measured at birth

The causes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) - including genetic and environmental factors - are not entirely understood. Many studies have already shown that serious maternal infection during pregnancy is associated with increased risk for offspring in both people and animals.

10 Nov 2020

Novel super-activating macrophage receptor could explain hyper-inflammation in severe COVID-19

Immunity is a curious thing. While essential in protecting the body against invading pathogens and foreign antigens, it can also turn against the body and trigger destructive immunological processes. A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in November 2020 reports on the role played by hyperactive macrophages in a range of acute and chronic hyper-inflammatory conditions.

10 Nov 2020

Clinical study of personalized cancer vaccine to expand after promising preliminary data

A clinical trial at the University of Arizona Health Sciences designed to study the safety and effectiveness of a personalized cancer vaccine in combination with the immunotherapy drug Pembrolizumab will expand its cohort after promising preliminary data was presented at the annual meeting of the Society for the Immunotherapy of Cancer.

10 Nov 2020

Research uncovers a new underlying cause of heart attack

Heart attacks strike suddenly and have a range of different triggers. Researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) were able to uncover a further underlying cause.

10 Nov 2020

Daily walnut consumption may reduce the risk of heart disease

Findings from a randomized controlled trial recently published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, indicate that people in their 60s and 70s who regularly consume walnuts may have reduced inflammation, a factor associated with a lower risk of heart disease, compared to those who do not eat walnuts.

10 Nov 2020

Babies can acquire allergies from their mothers in the womb

Mothers can pass on allergies to offspring while they are developing in the womb and that is one reason why babies exhibit allergies early in life, according to a Singapore preclinical study.

10 Nov 2020

Nanoparticles could treat neurodegenerative diseases, shows study

Researchers from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) have shown that nanoparticles could be used to deliver drugs to the brain to treat neurodegenerative diseases.

10 Nov 2020

Lupus Research Alliance announces the 2020 Lupus Innovation Awards

The Lupus Research Alliance proudly announced today the 2020 Lupus Innovation Awards. The projects represent a wide breadth of scientific exploration in lupus, probing the development and progression of lupus while pointing to potential treatment approaches.

10 Nov 2020

Genetic disposition plays key role in the human immune system

A genetic disposition that plays a role in the development of the heart in the embryo also appears to play a key role in the human immune system.

10 Nov 2020

New biomaterial significantly reduces scar formation following wounds

Researchers at UCLA, Duke University and other collaborating institutions have developed a biomaterial that may significantly reduce scar formation after wounding, leading to more effective skin healing.

10 Nov 2020

Japanese woman diagnosed with frosted branch angiitis

Leukemias and lymphomas are life-threatening malignancies affecting white blood cells and the immune system; fortunately, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, combined with stem cell therapy, can improve survival significantly.

10 Nov 2020

Lateral flow test enables faster, accurate diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection

The recently FDA-authorized alpha-defensin lateral flow test is a highly accurate, ten-minute test for diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) - a serious and costly complication of total joint replacement, reports a study in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.

9 Nov 2020

Translational study within SARS-CoV-2 infected cells opens up new therapeutic avenues

A recent study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in October 2020 shows what the protein translation process looks like in specific terms. In doing so, the study has provided new insights that might prove helpful in developing new therapies for COVID-19 patients.

9 Nov 2020

Majority of population likely has pre-existing immunity to SARS-CoV-2, claim researchers

A team of researchers has conducted a study suggesting that the majority of the global population is likely to have pre-existing T-cell immunity to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

9 Nov 2020

Study shows oxidant hydrogen peroxide can actually slow down cell ageing

At high concentrations, reactive oxygen species - known as oxidants - are harmful to cells in all organisms and have been linked to ageing.

9 Nov 2020

Telemedicine appointment cancellations were almost zero during the COVID phase

New research presented at ACR Convergence, the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting, shows that expanded use of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic improved cancellation rates, no-shows and completed medical visits for rheumatology ambulatory clinics in one large Ohio health system.

9 Nov 2020