Immune System News and Research

RSS

Blocking metastasis-promoting enzyme can prevent spread of breast cancer

In a breakthrough with important implications for the future of immunotherapy for breast cancer, UC San Francisco scientists have found that blocking the activity of a single enzyme can prevent a common type of breast cancer from spreading to distant organs.

14 Nov 2019

Inhaled immunosuppressant could improve prognosis of lung transplant patients

University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers found that lung transplant recipients who had early signs of organ rejection could increase their chances of survival by using an inhaled form of the immunosuppression drug cyclosporine.

13 Nov 2019

Targeting the formation of alpha-synuclein aggregates may slow Parkinson's progression

Aggregates of the protein alpha-synuclein arising in the gut may play a key role in the development of Parkinson's disease.

13 Nov 2019

Uncovering the secret weapon of rabies viruses

In a new study published in the journal Cell Reports, scientists have discovered the exact site at which the immune system is disabled by the rabies virus, opening the way for a new and highly effective means of rabies prevention. This is a long-awaited discovery and could transform the field of rabies immunization.

13 Nov 2019

Researchers find mechanism that controls the growth of B1-cells

Directly after birth, the immune system completes production of a subtype of antibody-producing immune cells, B-1, that are to last for a lifetime. No more B1-cells are formed after that point. However, these cells are self-reactive - they produce not only antibodies against foreign substances, but also against the body's own substances, and it is unclear why the immune system allows for the development of these particular cells.

13 Nov 2019

Scientists explore expansion of cytotoxic CD4 T-cells in supercentenarians

Scientists from the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Science (IMS) and Keio University School of Medicine in Japan have used single-cell RNA analysis to find that supercentenarians--meaning people over the age of 110--have an excess of a type of immune cell called cytotoxic CD4 T-cells.

13 Nov 2019

Johns Hopkins launches new center for 'immunoengineering' research

If the saying that two heads are better than one is true, then joining two fields of science may be better than one to spur more advances in medicine.

13 Nov 2019

Scientists find driver for more deadly prostate cancer

A transcription factor that aids neuron function also appears to enable a cell conversion in the prostate gland that can make an already recurrent cancer even more deadly, scientists say.

13 Nov 2019

Russian scientists explain how an additional component can triple vaccine efficiency

A team of Russian scientists carried out a study on the cell immunity level and found out how an adjuvant called azoximer bromide increases the immunogenicity of the anti-flu vaccine.

12 Nov 2019

Medical steroid use could push up diabetes risk

Glucocorticoids (GCs), or steroids, as they are popularly called, are often prescribed for their anti-inflammatory effects in a host of conditions including acute asthmatic attacks, allergies, and arthritis. However, are they doing good or harm?

12 Nov 2019

Autoimmune attack on uninfected red blood cells may cause anemia in malaria patients

An autoimmune attack on uninfected red blood cells likely contributes to anaemia - a shortage of red blood cells - in people with malaria, according to a new study published in eLife.

12 Nov 2019

Virginia Tech professor wins $1.85 million NIH grant for sepsis research

One drop of blood contains 5,000 neutrophils, the most abundant type of white blood cell that is deployed by the human immune system. Throughout the entire body, a human has 25 billion of these foot soldiers that are relentlessly patrolling to fight invading pathogens.

12 Nov 2019

Two strains of the same bacterium work together to cause deadly flesh-eating disease

Two different strains of the same flesh-eating bacteria species work in combination to become more dangerous.

12 Nov 2019

Drug regimen for lymphoma and RA more likely to put patients with pemphigus into remission

Pemphigus, an autoimmune disease mediated by B cells and which causes painful blisters and sores on the skin and mucous membranes, is a rare chronic autoimmune condition that can be fatal if not treated.

11 Nov 2019

Regulating gut bacteria could calm chemo side effects, reduce cognitive problems

In a new study, scientists observed several simultaneous reactions in mice given a common chemotherapy drug: Their gut bacteria and tissue changed, their blood and brains showed signs of inflammation, and their behaviors suggested they were fatigued and cognitively impaired.

11 Nov 2019

Juvenile immune arthritis – new treatments wanted

Juvenile immune arthritis (JIA) is a severely undertreated condition, and new medications are badly needed to relieve the signs and symptoms of the illness, according to a new study presented at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting.

11 Nov 2019

Methotrexate reduces joint damage in hand osteoarthritis

A new study presented at the 2019 ACR/ARP meeting shows that methotrexate stopped further damage to the hand joints and even perhaps improved bone remodeling in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the hand, when they were assessed at 3 and 12 months.

11 Nov 2019

Rheumatoid arthritis: biologics useful in young and old alike

A new study presented at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting says that all rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, irrespective of their age, benefit to a similar extent from the use of biologic drugs in their treatment. The study measured improvement in disease parameters 48 weeks after the beginning of therapy to establish this conclusion.

11 Nov 2019

Study compares ultrasound versus conventional strategies in early rheumatoid arthritis

Researchers have found that using the information form ultrasound technology in the treatment protocol did not affect the outcome of the patients with Rheumatoid arthritis. The study titled, “Ultrasound versus Conventional Treat-To-Target Strategies in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Outcome Data from a 2-year Randomized Controlled Strategy Trial,” was presented at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting.

11 Nov 2019

New textbook on mysterious and deadly cytokine storm syndrome

There's no telling where the call will come from, or when. But Randy Cron, M.D., Ph.D., professor of pediatrics and medicine at UAB, knows to expect them.

11 Nov 2019