Immune System News and Research

RSS

The eye initiates an immune response in the lens after injury

The lens of the eye is an unusual organ. Unlike most of the body's organs, blood vessels don't reach the lens. If they did, they'd obscure our vision and we wouldn't be able to see.

26 May 2020

Novel testing system predicts outcomes in patients with sepsis

More than 1.7 million Americans develop sepsis each year, and more than 270,000 die from it. The condition--which happens when the body has an extreme response to a bacterial or viral infection, causing a chain reaction that can lead to organ failure and death--has few strategies for treatment.

26 May 2020

New study reveals complex role of immune-system molecule in Huntington's disease

More than a decade before people with Huntington's disease show symptoms, they can exhibit abnormally high levels of an immune-system molecule called interleukin-6 (IL-6), which has led many researchers to suspect IL-6 of promoting the eventual neurological devastation associated with the genetic condition.

26 May 2020

New technique for fast, easy optimization of antibodies using chicken cells

Antibodies for potential use as medicines can be made rapidly in chicken cells grown in laboratories. Researchers refer to their technique as the human ADLib system, short for autonomously diversifying libraries.

26 May 2020

New AI tool could predict risk of lung cancer recurrence

Computer scientists working with pathologists have trained an artificial intelligence tool to determine which patients with lung cancer have a higher risk of their disease coming back after treatment, as part of Cancer Research UK’s landmark TRACERx study.

26 May 2020

Researchers identify genetic mechanisms that produce radioresistance in cancer cells

Cancer stem cells are a cell type that was previously little known. They are resistant to irradiation and prevent the effective treatment of many types of cancer. A research group from Innsbruck has now identified two genetic mechanisms that produce this radioresistance.

26 May 2020

Inherited genetic variations can alter progression of melanoma, indicates study

Sometimes cancer stays put, but often it metastasizes, spreading to new locations in the body. It has long been suspected that genetic mutations arising inside tumor cells drive this potentially devastating turn of events.

26 May 2020

Even natural products may pose potential risk to unborn child

Plant products ingested by pregnant women through their diet are broken down by the intestinal microbiota into chemical substances, some of which can cross the placental barrier and reach the fetus.

25 May 2020

New biomarkers to consider for SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

Researchers at the University of Melbourne have made new discoveries about how the immune system responds to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that could be important to consider in vaccine research.

24 May 2020

First COVID-19 vaccine found to be safe, able to generate rapid immune response in phase 1 clinical trial

The first COVID-19 vaccine to reach phase 1 clinical trial has been found to be safe, well-tolerated, and able to generate an immune response against SARS-CoV-2 in humans, according to new research published in The Lancet.

22 May 2020

Different immune responses can occur in Covid-19, shows study

The human immune system is reactive to more than just the viral protein on which researchers have focused to date. This is relevant for tests and potential vaccines.

22 May 2020

Blood test could reveal how the immune system responds to coronavirus

A highly detailed analysis of the composition of immune cells in the blood of patients with COVID-19, reveals new aspects of how the SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus causes disease.

22 May 2020

New clinical trial to test treatment that targets overactive immune response to COVID-19

For some COVID-19 patients, the body's immune response may be as destructive as the virus that causes the disease.

22 May 2020

Scientists identify compounds in noxious weed that reduce virulence of Staphylococcus bacteria

Scientists have identified specific compounds from the Brazilian Peppertree -- a weedy, invasive shrub in Florida -- that reduce the virulence of antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria.

22 May 2020

Study to examine how stem cell transplant patients react to COVID-19 infection

A new study will look at how patients, who receive stem cell transplants for blood cancers and blood disorders, react to COVID-19 infection during their recovery.

22 May 2020

IL-6 blocker use in severe COVID-19 increases risk of secondary infections

With many hundreds of thousands of deaths due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, there is a rush to find an effective vaccine or drug against the virus. A new study on the preprint server medRxiv* in May 2020 shows that the use of some biologically plausible drugs may be counterproductive, and care should be taken when trying out unproven therapies.

22 May 2020

Simple molecular 'switch' transforms autoimmunity drugs into powerful anti-cancer treatments

Scientists from the Antibody and Vaccine group at the University of Southampton have discovered a way to transform antibody drugs previously developed to treat autoimmunity into antibodies with powerful anti-cancer activity through a simple molecular "switch".

21 May 2020

ELISA and CLIA antibody tests for SARS-CoV-2 perform best in terms of sensitivity

Testing for those who have developed antibodies against the coronavirus can help tackle the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Now, a new study has identified all the antibody tests available for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to determine which performs better and is more accurate.

21 May 2020

New guidance to mitigate the psychological effects of social distancing

New guidance published in The BMJ today during Mental Health Awareness Week has outlined guidance for primary care workers on the best-evidenced methods to mitigate the psychological effects of social distancing.

21 May 2020

Study shows selenium-containing compounds inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication and assembly

A recent paper by researchers from the Netherlands and Poland provides evidence that modified ebselen derivatives may serve as highly promising prospective drugs against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The manuscript is freely available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

21 May 2020

Immune System News and Research

The eye initiates an immune response in the lens after injury

Novel testing system predicts outcomes in patients with sepsis

New study reveals complex role of immune-system molecule in Huntington's disease

New technique for fast, easy optimization of antibodies using chicken cells

New AI tool could predict risk of lung cancer recurrence

Researchers identify genetic mechanisms that produce radioresistance in cancer cells

Inherited genetic variations can alter progression of melanoma, indicates study

Even natural products may pose potential risk to unborn child

New biomarkers to consider for SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

First COVID-19 vaccine found to be safe, able to generate rapid immune response in phase 1 clinical trial

Different immune responses can occur in Covid-19, shows study

Blood test could reveal how the immune system responds to coronavirus

New clinical trial to test treatment that targets overactive immune response to COVID-19

Scientists identify compounds in noxious weed that reduce virulence of Staphylococcus bacteria

Study to examine how stem cell transplant patients react to COVID-19 infection

IL-6 blocker use in severe COVID-19 increases risk of secondary infections

Simple molecular 'switch' transforms autoimmunity drugs into powerful anti-cancer treatments

ELISA and CLIA antibody tests for SARS-CoV-2 perform best in terms of sensitivity

New guidance to mitigate the psychological effects of social distancing

Study shows selenium-containing compounds inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication and assembly

Immunology eBook

Decoding Cannabis: Differentiating Hemp and Marijuana

Deciphering the Microbiome with The Microsetta Initiative

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Latest News