Immune System News and Research

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New platform shows potential to generate most effective vaccines with fewest side effects

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is shining a bright spotlight on vaccine development. As numerous vaccines race through clinical trials, physicians and researchers continue to work on developing new vaccine technologies to generate the most effective vaccines with the fewest side effects.

7 Aug 2020

Study identifies five immune response markers that may predict COVID-19 patient outcomes

Galit Alter, PhD, Group Leader at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Helen Chu, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, University of Washington School of Medicine, and UW Medicine physician, have recently published a paper which identifies five immune response markers which, collectively, were able to correctly classify both convalescent COVID-19 patients and those who did not survive the disease.

7 Aug 2020

Advanced analysis offers new insights into immune system’s role in severe COVID-19

By conducting advanced analyses of immune system activation in patients with severe COVID-19, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have managed to identify several cell types that play a key part in the immune response to the new coronavirus and the hyperinflammation seen in severe cases of the disease.

7 Aug 2020

New type of immunotherapy shows promise for advanced skin cancer

A new type of immunotherapy for the skin cancer malignant melanoma shows promising results. Three severely ill patients are now long-term survivors.

7 Aug 2020

Immunothrombotic dysregulation is key marker of disease severity in COVID-19

In severe cases of COVID-19, the infection can lead to obstruction of the blood vessels in the lung, heart and kidneys. Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich researchers have now shown that activated immune cells and blood platelets play a major role in these pathologies.

7 Aug 2020

Immune system derails during severe course of COVID-19

Contrary to what has been generally assumed so far, a severe course of COVID-19 does not solely result in a strong immune reaction - rather, the immune response is caught in a continuous loop of activation and inhibition.

6 Aug 2020

Heat suggested as a therapeutic intervention in COVID-19

Viruses that are contained within a lipid membrane or “enveloped viruses” such as coronaviruses and rhinoviruses can remain active for long periods in cool, dry conditions, which can lead to increased rates of respiratory infections.

6 Aug 2020

Research unlocks key mechanism in the communication between brain cells during stroke

Research led by Nicolas Bazan, MD, PhD, Boyd Professor and Director of the Neuroscience Center of Excellence at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, and Ludmila Belayev, MD, LSU Health New Orleans Professor of Neuroscience, Neurology and Neurosurgery, has unlocked a key fundamental mechanism in the communication between brain cells when confronted with stroke.

6 Aug 2020

COVID-19: BCG vaccine is safe and possibly has a positive effect

The BCG vaccine, a vaccine originally made against tuberculosis, has a general stimulating effect on the immune system and is therefore effective against multiple infectious diseases - possibly also against COVID-19.

6 Aug 2020

America’s obesity epidemic threatens effectiveness of any COVID vaccine

For a world crippled by the coronavirus, salvation hinges on a vaccine.

6 Aug 2020

Scientists create new mouse model of permanent neonatal diabetes

Diabetes seldom occurs in newborns--a condition known as neonatal diabetes. But when it does, it's mostly due to a mutation in a single gene such as the KCNJ11 or insulin (INS).

6 Aug 2020

Carefully engineered spike protein can help develop COVID-19 vaccine

The experimental vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 that was the first to enter human trials in the United States has been shown to elicit neutralizing antibodies and a helpful T-cell response with the aid of a carefully engineered spike protein that mimics the infection-spreading part of the virus.

6 Aug 2020

Climate change and disruption of ecosystem affect allergies, respiratory disorders

Climate change and disruption of the ecosystem have the potential to profoundly impact the human body. Xue Ming, professor of neurology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, who recently published a paper in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health on the effects of climate change on allergies, autoimmunity and the microbiome -; the beneficial microorganisms that live on and inside the human body -; discusses how the delicate balance of the environment affects conditions such as allergies, autism, and immune disorders.

6 Aug 2020

HDAC6 inhibitors increase efficacy of immunotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer

Genetic modifier HDAC6 was found to control tumor growth and halt metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer in vivo, according to a new study published in the top-tier journal Cancer Research by investigators at the George Washington University (GW) Cancer Center.

6 Aug 2020

COVID-19 should be treated as an acute inflammatory disease, Massey scientist says

The COVID-19 pandemic has had detrimental effects on global infrastructure sectors, including economic, political, health care, education and research systems, and there is still no definitive treatment strategy for the disease.

5 Aug 2020

Beneficial microbes reprogram the B cell repertoire that produce antibodies

The mammalian gut is home to trillions of microbes which are essential for a healthy immune system and good nutrition.

5 Aug 2020

European Commission approves first drug for hepatitis D

What started off as basic research 25 years ago has now lead to a successfully approved drug: The entry blocker bulevirtide (brand name Hepcludex, formerly known as Myrcludex B), jointly developed by researchers from Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD) and the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg, the DZIF and other partners, has now been approved by the European Commission.

5 Aug 2020

Study shows the strategies tumor cells use to evade immune defense

Scientists are increasingly trying to use the body's own immune system to fight cancer. A new study by the University of Bonn and research institutions in Australia and Switzerland now shows the strategies tumor cells use to evade this attack.

5 Aug 2020

Study demonstrates the dual effect of acetate in immune response

The concentration of acetate increases particularly sharply at the site of an infection in the body. As reported in the journal Cell Metabolism by a team of researchers from the University of Basel and colleagues, acetate supports the function of certain immune cells and thus helps to eliminate pathogens safely and efficiently.

5 Aug 2020