Immune System News and Research

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Study explores if fecal transplants can improve outcomes in melanoma patients

A multidisciplinary team at Lawson Health Research Institute is exploring whether fecal transplants can improve outcomes in melanoma patients treated with immunotherapy.

19 Aug 2019

Despite failed promises, stem cell advocates again want taxpayers to pony up billions

Californians voted in 2004 to shell out billions of dollars in taxpayer money to fund cutting-edge stem cell treatments.

16 Aug 2019

Researchers gain new insights into the mechanism of vaccine-induced T cell immunity

A team led by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research has gained new insights into the mechanism of vaccine-induced T cell immunity utilizing single-cell RNA sequencing and metabolic profiling techniques.

16 Aug 2019

Removal of a critical enzyme may help cases of sepsis finds research

Scientists at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have shown that removal of an enzyme called the PH domain Leucine-rich repeat Protein Phosphatase 1 (PHLPP1) could help laboratory mice with sepsis in a model they had created for their experiment. The study titled, “PHLPP1 counter-regulates STAT1-mediated inflammatory signalling,” was published this week in the journal eLife.

15 Aug 2019

Researchers develop new strategy to target metastases in lymph nodes

Metastasis, in which cancer cells break free from the primary tumor and form tumors at other sites, worsens the prognosis for many cancer patients.

14 Aug 2019

Mortality risk from yellow fever can be identified sooner

Approximately ten out of every 100 people who are bitten by mosquitos infected by the yellow fever virus develop symptoms of the disease. Although most infected people do not develop the disease, it is lethal to approximately 40% of those who do.

14 Aug 2019

Chlamydia vaccine shows promise after a successful clinical trial

A vaccine against the sexually transmitted infection (STI) chlamydia is now a substantial step closer to reality after successfully passing its Phase 1 clinical trial.

14 Aug 2019

Discovery of molecular mechanism behind spread of leishmania infection

Researchers from the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) have made a breakthrough in understanding the reason behind the virulence of leishmania parasite. The leishmania parasite is responsible for causing leishmaniasis which affects over 12 million people across the globe and is a chronic parasitic disease.

14 Aug 2019

UC San Diego researchers win $9 million funding to identify cellular cause of type 1 diabetes

University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers have been awarded nearly $9 million to fund two multi-institutional research projects that use human pluripotent stem cells, CRISPR and human organoids to dissect beta cell defects and create a human cell model of type 1 diabetes aimed at identifying the elusive cellular actions leading to disease onset.

14 Aug 2019

Researchers identify molecular switch that impacts immune responses to viral infections

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers have identified a molecular switch that impacts immune responses to viral infections, and whether or not protective antibodies are produced.

14 Aug 2019

Mice study suggests anti-cancer effect of ketogenic diet

It's well known that keeping blood glucose levels in check can help individuals avoid or manage diabetes, but new research led by biologists at The University of Texas at Dallas suggests that restricting blood glucose levels might also keep certain cancers at bay.

13 Aug 2019

Scientists step closer to an Ebola cure

The Ebola virus has killed thousands of people in Western Africa between 2014 and 2016. Recently, another outbreak in Congo emerged, killing roughly a thousand people. Now, scientists are a step closer to an Ebola cure, thanks to two new drugs that appear to be highly effective in treating people with the virus.

13 Aug 2019

Newborn mouse model yields clues to cause of devastating gut disease in anemic preemies

Physicians have long suspected that red blood cell transfusions given to premature infants with anemia may put them in danger of developing necrotizing enterocolitis, or NEC, a potentially lethal inflammatory disease of the intestines.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 13 Aug 2019

Study provides evidence that enterovirus may be a factor in acute flaccid myelitis

A new study analyzing samples from patients with and without acute flaccid myelitis provides additional evidence for an association between the rare but often serious condition that causes muscle weakness and paralysis, and infection with non-polio enteroviruses.

13 Aug 2019

Study highlights how high fat diet affects one component of gut immune system

Researchers have discovered how our choice of diet can weaken our gut immune system and lead to the development of diabetes.

13 Aug 2019

SU2C Dream Team to develop new drug combination to stop spread of breast cancer

At a press conference at McGill University today, Stand Up To Cancer Canada, the Canadian Cancer Society, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research announced the launch of the SU2C Canada Metastatic Breast Cancer Dream Team to pursue the development of a new drug combination that may help stop the spread of breast cancer to other organs of the body.

13 Aug 2019

Collaborative project aims to discover novel regulators of immune responses

Harvard University and Merck are launching a collaboration that will provide significant research funding for up to four years to support immuno-oncology research led by Arlene Sharpe, MD, PhD, at Harvard Medical School.

13 Aug 2019

Researchers make scientific breakthrough regarding Leishmania virulence strategy

A team from the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique has made a scientific breakthrough regarding the virulence strategy employed by the Leishmania parasite to infect cells of the immune system.

12 Aug 2019

Antibody may help the immune system fight sepsis-related fungal infections

An antibody that blocks the "programmed cell death" pathway may help the immune system fight off sepsis-related fungal infections, according to animal studies reported in SHOCK: Injury, Inflammation, and Sepsis: Laboratory and Clinical Approaches, Official Journal of the Shock Society.

12 Aug 2019

Study reveals surprising discoveries about poorly understood glioblastoma

Glioblastoma, a cancer that arises in the brain's supporting glial cells, is one of the worst diagnoses a child can receive. The grade IV, highly malignant tumor aggressively infiltrates healthy brain tissue, and most children die of the disease within one to two years of diagnosis, similar to adults.

12 Aug 2019