Immune System News and Research

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UCLA professor named to the National Academy of Medicine

Dr. Antoni Ribas, a world-renowned physician-scientist and professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, has been named to the National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.

19 Oct 2020

Scientists uncover important disease-fighting role for cells in the liver

Scientists at Scripps Research have uncovered an important disease-fighting role for cells called hepatocytes, which constitute most of the liver. The discovery could potentially be harnessed to develop new medicines for viral illnesses.

19 Oct 2020

Untreated obstructive sleep apnea linked with increased hospitalization from flu

As we approach flu season, adults with obstructive sleep apnea may want to take extra precautions. A study published online as an accepted paper in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine is the first to find that patients with sleep apnea who did not use CPAP therapy were more likely to be hospitalized with the flu.

19 Oct 2020

Scientists discover key enzyme involved in the development of autoimmune diseases

Scientists affiliated with the Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases (CRID http://crid.fmrp.usp.br), hosted by the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil, have discovered that an enzyme involved in key metabolic processes also plays a role in immune cell differentiation and hence in the development of autoimmune diseases.

19 Oct 2020

Immunoglobulin M ACE2 autoantibodies associated with severe COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses with little prospect of immediate relief, a recent study by Johns Hopkins University researchers published on the preprint server medRxiv* in October 2020 discusses the association of Immunoglobulin M (IgM) autoantibodies against the host receptor that binds severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with severe disease via vascular endothelial damage. This could help develop better therapies and prognostic criteria.

19 Oct 2020

Three new research teams aim to improve therapies for difficult-to-treat pediatric cancers

While incredible progress has been made in advancing pediatric cancer research, critical unmet needs still exist, especially for more aggressive cancers such as neuroblastomas and Ewing sarcoma.

19 Oct 2020

Cytotoxic NK cells also have immunological memory function

Good news for the human immune system: researchers from MedUni Vienna's Departments of Dermatology and Surgery have managed to ascribe an immunological memory function to a subset of cytotoxic NK cells, which have hitherto been regarded as antigen-non-specific.

19 Oct 2020

Even healthy people have "autoreactive" T cells linked to type 1 diabetes, shows study

Your pancreas is studded with cell clusters called islets. In most people, special beta cells live snug in the islets, happily making the insulin that the body uses to regulate blood sugar.

19 Oct 2020

Scientists lay out a novel rationale for COVID-19 drug design

American and Polish scientists, reporting Oct. 16 in the journal Science Advances, laid out a novel rationale for COVID-19 drug design - blocking a molecular "scissor" that the virus uses for virus production and to disable human proteins crucial to the immune response.

19 Oct 2020

Obesity changes ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression in mice: Implications for COVID-19

Researchers studying young obese mice found that expression of ACE2, a receptor in host cells that binds to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is higher in the lungs and trachea of obese mice. The finding could partly explain why obesity is a high-risk factor for COVID-19.

18 Oct 2020

Researchers report the discovery of innate immune signaling pathway in fibroblasts

Vanderbilt University researchers have reported the counterintuitive discovery that certain chemotherapeutic agents used to treat tumors can have the opposite effect of tissue overgrowth in normal, intact mammary glands, epidermis and hair follicles.

16 Oct 2020

NIH launches adaptive Phase 3 clinical trial to test immune modulator drugs in COVID-19 patients

The National Institutes of Health has launched an adaptive Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of three immune modulator drugs in hospitalized adults with COVID-19.

16 Oct 2020

Antibody levels drop rapidly in recovering COVID-19 patients, shows study

In the absence of approved, effective treatments for COVID-19, some hospitals have been treating patients with severe COVID symptoms with blood plasma from recovering patients.

16 Oct 2020

Patients with soft-tissue cancer show rapid and complete response to novel combination of immunotherapy

A patient with end-stage and rapidly progressing soft-tissue cancer whose tumor did not respond to standard treatment, had a "rapid and complete response" to a novel combination of immunotherapy, according to new research published by a team of scientists from John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center and the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, both of whom are part of the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center Consortium.

16 Oct 2020

Exposure to ancient parasites may be linked to humans’ response to coronavirus

Why are some people more resilient to viruses than others? The answer has eluded scientists for centuries and, in the age of COVID-19, has come to represent one of the holy grails of biomedical research.

16 Oct 2020

Two studies show the benefit of collaborative research on childhood blood disorders

When a child has a rare blood disorder, clinicians can struggle to find the best diagnostic and treatment methods.

15 Oct 2020

GIV protein involved in the immune system could form basis for novel therapeutics

The immune response to infections is a delicate balance. We need just enough action to clear away the offending bacteria or viruses, but not so much that our own bodies suffer collateral damage.

15 Oct 2020

Higher levels of lymphocytes reduce risk of long-term complications in asymptomatic COVID-19 patients

COVID-19 remains stubbornly inconsistent. More than a million people have died and 35 million have been diagnosed, but a large fraction of people infected with the coronavirus--about 45%, according to recent estimates--show no symptoms at all.

15 Oct 2020

Certain live-attenuated vaccines can prevent severe complications of COVID-19

COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc globally, with over one million deaths to date. Yet what if an existing vaccine could make COVID-19 less deadly? A study just published put the theory to test, with promising results.

15 Oct 2020

Maltreatment at early age affects girls more than boys

New research by a University of Georgia scientist reveals that girls who are maltreated show higher levels of inflammation at an early age than boys who are maltreated or children who have not experienced abuse. This finding may forecast chronic mental and physical health problems in midlife.

14 Oct 2020

Immune System News and Research

UCLA professor named to the National Academy of Medicine

Scientists uncover important disease-fighting role for cells in the liver

Untreated obstructive sleep apnea linked with increased hospitalization from flu

Scientists discover key enzyme involved in the development of autoimmune diseases

Immunoglobulin M ACE2 autoantibodies associated with severe COVID-19

Three new research teams aim to improve therapies for difficult-to-treat pediatric cancers

Cytotoxic NK cells also have immunological memory function

Even healthy people have "autoreactive" T cells linked to type 1 diabetes, shows study

Scientists lay out a novel rationale for COVID-19 drug design

Obesity changes ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression in mice: Implications for COVID-19

Researchers report the discovery of innate immune signaling pathway in fibroblasts

NIH launches adaptive Phase 3 clinical trial to test immune modulator drugs in COVID-19 patients

Antibody levels drop rapidly in recovering COVID-19 patients, shows study

Patients with soft-tissue cancer show rapid and complete response to novel combination of immunotherapy

Exposure to ancient parasites may be linked to humans’ response to coronavirus

Two studies show the benefit of collaborative research on childhood blood disorders

GIV protein involved in the immune system could form basis for novel therapeutics

Higher levels of lymphocytes reduce risk of long-term complications in asymptomatic COVID-19 patients

Certain live-attenuated vaccines can prevent severe complications of COVID-19

Maltreatment at early age affects girls more than boys

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