Immune System News and Research

RSS

Getting rid of chronic infections by waking up sleeping bacteria

Researchers in the group of Jan Michiels (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology) identified a mechanism of how sleepy bacteria wake up.

18 Jul 2019

Cancer stem cells elude the body's immune cells by deactivating danger detector

Acute myeloid leukemia stem cells elude the body's immune cells by deactivating a danger detector. The underlying mechanisms and the potential new therapeutic approaches that this gives rise to have been detailed in the journal Nature by researchers from the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel in collaboration with colleagues in Germany.

18 Jul 2019

Light at last: why do more women develop Alzheimer’s disease?

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a leading cause of dementia in many older people, but it seems to affect twice as many women as men. Scientists have long tried to find out why this is so, and why it seems to follow a fast-track course in women.

18 Jul 2019

Mothers with gestational diabetes transferring harmful 'forever chemicals' to their fetus

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts have found that pregnant women with gestational diabetes have a higher rate of passing on harmful synthetic chemicals called PFAS (17 - per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) to their unborn babies and thus risking their health.

17 Jul 2019

Gut infection can lead to a pathology resembling Parkinson's disease

A new study by Montreal scientists published today in Nature demonstrates that a gut infection can lead to a pathology resembling Parkinson's disease in a mouse model lacking a gene linked to the human disease.

17 Jul 2019

Dry cracked skin of eczema patients promotes 'atopic march'

Infants who develop eczema are more likely to develop food allergies, hay fever and asthma as they grow older, a progression known as the atopic march.

17 Jul 2019

Novel vaccine against bee sting allergy successfully tested

A recently completed trial on a bee sting vaccine containing a novel adjuvant called Advax to increase its efficacy has raised hopes that severe allergic reactions, sometimes fatal, to bee venom in allergic people could soon be a thing of the past. The vaccine was designed to neutralize the venom of the European honeybee.

17 Jul 2019

Study identifies genomic differences that impact response to Cryptococcus infection

Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen that infects people with weakened immune systems, particularly those with advanced HIV/AIDS. New University of Minnesota Medical Research could mean a better understanding of this infection and potentially better treatments for patients.

16 Jul 2019

New method spots rare immune cells reactive against cancer

Researchers from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have developed a new method to spot rare immune cells that are reactive against cancer cells, from within a patient's own immune system.

16 Jul 2019

Single-cell encapsulation technology can protect transplanted MSCs from immune attack

Bone marrow transplants of hematopoietic stem cells have become standard treatment for a host of conditions including cancers of the blood and lymphatic systems, sickle cell anemia, inherited metabolic disorders, and radiation damage.

16 Jul 2019

Removing bacterial armor could be new way to fight anthrax

A new study led by Dr. Antonella Fioravanti in the lab of Prof. Han Remaut (VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology) has shown that removing the armor of the bacterium that causes anthrax slows its growth and negatively affects its ability to cause disease.

16 Jul 2019

UMass Amherst scientist receives $792,000 grant to advance cancer immunotherapy research

Biomedical engineer Ashish Kulkarni, assistant professor of chemical engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has been awarded a four-year, $792,000 grant from the American Cancer Society to advance his interdisciplinary lab's promising cancer immunotherapy research.

16 Jul 2019

HIV therapy leaves unrepaired holes in the immune system's wall of defense

If they don't receive antiretroviral therapy (ART), most HIV patients see a progressive weakening of their immune system.

16 Jul 2019

Novel biomarker-guided approach has potential for treatment of common liver cancer

A study at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center discovered a cellular pathway tied to cancer that may be beneficial in reducing side effects and extending duration of immunotherapy in some patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of liver cancer.

16 Jul 2019

Diet and nutrition influence microbiome in colonic mucosa

Diet is important in maintaining human health, but its underlying mechanism is not yet fully understood. Now, a team of researchers sheds light on the connection of diet and health, and it has something to do with the microbiome composition in human colonic mucosa.

15 Jul 2019

Reprogramming cells to control HIV infection

Cells from the rare individuals who naturally control HIV infection have been the focus of investigation for nearly 15 years with the aim of elucidating their specific features.

14 Jul 2019

How cell-free DNA can be targeted to prevent spread of tumors

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is DNA found in trace amounts in blood, which has escaped degradation by enzymes.

12 Jul 2019

Mathematical model helps identify determinants of persistent MRSA bacteremia

Mathematical modeling suggests that the rate at which a patient’s immune system clears slow-growing variants of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria is a key determinant of whether antibiotics can cure the infection.

From PLOS ONE 12 Jul 2019

New study reveals 'clutch' proteins responsible for putting T cell activation 'into gear'

In collaborative research, scientists from three continents were able to discover a crucial bit of information about how T cells move proteins inside them to drive the immune response. This could help evolve specific new treatments centered on T cell selectivity.

12 Jul 2019

New therapeutic food boosts key growth-promoting gut microbes in malnourished children

A new type of therapeutic food, specifically designed to repair the gut microbiomes of malnourished children, is superior to standard therapy in an initial clinical trial conducted in Bangladesh.

12 Jul 2019