Immune System News and Research

RSS

Research reveals how skin cells embark on a swift yet elaborate death

Skin is our body's most ardent defender against pathogens and other external threats. Its outermost layer is maintained through a remarkable transformation in which skin cells swiftly convert into squames--flat, dead cells that provide a tight seal between the living portion of the skin and the world outside.

13 Mar 2020

Max Planck researchers identify mechanistic basis of antigen receptor gene assembly

Adaptive immunity is a powerful defense mechanism in vertebrates. A finely tuned interplay of different cell types provides a pathogen-specific immune response to eliminate for example bacteria and viruses.

13 Mar 2020

Blood stem cells conserve epigenetic memory of previous infections to boost immunity

These findings should have a significant impact on future vaccination strategies and pave the way for new treatments of an underperforming or over-reacting immune system. The results of this research are published in Cell Stem Cell on March 12, 2020.

13 Mar 2020

What does COVID-19 do to the body?

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, also known as 2019-nCoV, is the virus that causes COVID-19, and that is spreading throughout the world is causing panic in almost all countries. With a death rate ranging from 1% to 2% in young patients but about 5%-8% in elderly and sick patients, it is capable of ravaging multiple organ systems in the human body.

12 Mar 2020

Prize-winning research offers a promising approach to improve regenerative medicine

Joana Neves is the 2019 grand prize winner of the Sartorius & Science Prize for Regenerative Medicine & Cell Therapy, for work that offers a promising approach to improve the outcome of regenerative stem cell-based therapies aimed at delaying age-related degenerative diseases.

12 Mar 2020

UK lab looks for volunteers to be infected with coronavirus

Amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, scientists are asking for healthy volunteers to help in the development of the vaccine. Volunteers will be infected with the two strains of the common coronavirus.

12 Mar 2020

Research shows how immune cells act to limit tumor development

How does the immune system act to limit tumor development? Using in vivo imaging tools, scientists from the Institut Pasteur and Inserm described the spatiotemporal activity of tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes, both locally and remotely.

12 Mar 2020

Could rushing a coronavirus vaccine cause more harm?

Amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic that is rapidly spreading worldwide, scientists are becoming more concerned that rushing vaccine production to prevent the infection may do more harm than good to patients.

12 Mar 2020

Potential breakthrough in cancer immunotherapy with gasdermin E

A new study published in the journal Nature in March 2020 reports the discovery of a new approach to cancer immunotherapy, which could be useful in many more cancers than at present.

11 Mar 2020

Potential targets for immune responses to novel coronavirus identified

Within two months, SARS-CoV-2, a previously unknown coronavirus, has raced around globe, infecting over a 100,000 people with numbers continuing to rise quickly.

11 Mar 2020

India's Holi Festival subdued amid coronavirus fears, Indonesia reports first death

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has spread to more than 100 countries, and to contain the virus, many festivities, gatherings, and events that draw large crowds have been canceled. However, in India, Holi, a traditional Hindu festival that celebrates the beginning of spring as well as the triumph of good over evil, still went ahead.

11 Mar 2020

Diet influences multiple sclerosis disease course

The short-chain fatty acid propionic acid influences the intestine-mediated immune regulation in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

11 Mar 2020

New technology could enable more accessible form of electron cryo-microscopy

The Rosalind Franklin Institute has committed to developing a multi-million pound technology which enables a more accessible form of electron cryo-microscopy.

11 Mar 2020

Gut bacteria can accumulate in tumors and improve effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy

Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and University of Chicago have discovered that bacteria that usually live in the gut can accumulate in tumors and improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy in mice.

10 Mar 2020

Researchers discover human protein that potently inhibits coronavirus

A protein produced by the human immune system can potently inhibit several coronaviruses, including the one behind the current COVID-19 outbreak, an international team of investigators reports today. The research reveals that the LY6E protein impairs the coronavirus' ability to initiate infection, which could lead to treatments for the illness.

10 Mar 2020

A previously unknown mechanism could be new therapeutic target for cancer immunotherapy

Researchers at UC have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that could explain the reason behind decreased immune function in cancer patients and could be a new therapeutic target for immunotherapy for those with head and neck cancers.

10 Mar 2020

How a virus forms a protective shell to evade the immune system

A virus is a small infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses can infect all types of life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea.

10 Mar 2020

Study reports second ever case of a patient to be cured of HIV

A study of the second HIV patient to undergo successful stem cell transplantation from donors with a HIV-resistant gene, finds that there was no active viral infection in the patient's blood 30 months after they stopped anti-retroviral therapy, according to a case report published in The Lancet HIV journal and presented at CROI.

10 Mar 2020

Immune systems of preemies can catch up

According to a new study published in March 2020 in the journal Nature Communications, babies born prematurely up to 32 weeks of pregnancy can quickly catch up on their immune system function after birth, bringing them to a state comparable to term infants.

9 Mar 2020