Immune System News and Research

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Lipid-filled particle plays role in immune function and metabolism

Researchers have discovered that fat tissue releases a lipid-filled particle that has a role in immune function and metabolism. The study, in mice, was published online in the journal Science.

1 Mar 2019

Research shows how common fungus gets the flexibility to live in different host environments

The fungus Candida albicans is found in the gastrointestinal tract of about half of healthy adults with little if any effect, yet it also causes an oft-fatal blood infection among patients with compromised immune systems, including those with HIV/AIDS.

1 Mar 2019

Research reveals how metabolites can be used to inhibit epigenetic mechanisms and treat MS

Understanding and mitigating the role of epigenetics (environmental influences that trigger changes in gene expression) in disease development is a major goal of researchers.

28 Feb 2019

Custom-made proteins could result in antibodies that fight HIV

Researchers have developed a new method for the creation of custom-made proteins that can bypass the protective coating of the HIV virus.

28 Feb 2019

Researchers reveal promising biomarker for vascular disease relapse

Researchers at Okayama University report in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology that monitoring a particular antigen can be used for predicting relapse of the vascular disease AAV.

28 Feb 2019

Personalized therapy for aggressive brain cancer shows potential

Advances in genetics and genomics have taught us that every single tumor is different, and yet most standard therapies treat them all in the same way, limiting the effectiveness of treatments offered to many cancer patients.

28 Feb 2019

Researchers are developing and testing novel gene therapy to cure Crigler-Najjar syndrome

Crigler-Najjar syndrome affects about one in a million people at birth. Because of a defective gene, these individuals lack an essential enzyme in their liver to eliminate bilirubin, a toxic bile pigment that accumulates in all body tissues causing jaundice and potentially leading to irreversible and lethal neurological damage.

28 Feb 2019

Structure of human type 2 cannabinoid receptor revealed

A Chinese research team joined forces with Russian and U.S. biologists to obtain the crystal structure of the human type 2 cannabinoid receptor.

28 Feb 2019

Researchers explore why common antibiotic prescribed for diarrhea is failing

In the world of superbugs (bacteria that has grown resistant to antibiotics) Clostridioides difficile, a bacterium that causes diarrhea and colitis, is among the most stubborn.

27 Feb 2019

Custom-designed proteins may help generate antibodies to inhibit HIV infection

A new way to create proteins that can sneak through HIV's protective coating may be a step toward understanding the key components needed for developing a vaccine for the virus, according to researchers.

27 Feb 2019

Machine learning tool could prevent unnecessary treatments for kids with arthritis

Arthritis is not just an ailment of old age--it can affect children too, causing lifelong pain and disability in its most severe forms. Fortunately, some kids grow out of it. Knowing which patients will develop milder forms of disease could spare them unnecessary treatment and potential medication side effects but currently doctors have no way of predicting disease course or severity.

27 Feb 2019

Study uncovers mechanism that controls immune reactions against gut microbiota

Researchers from the Cluster of Excellence "Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation" in Kiel and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have uncovered a critical mechanism that controls immune reactions against microorganisms in the intestine.

27 Feb 2019

Scientists use CRISPR to reveal the secret life of antimicrobial peptides

When it comes to the immune system, we usually think about lymphocytes like B and T cells or macrophages going on constant seek-and-destroy missions against invading pathogens like bacteria and viruses.

26 Feb 2019

Newly developed probe looks, acts, and feels so much like real neuron

Like a well-guarded fortress, the human brain attacks intruders on sight. Foreign objects, including neural probes used to study and treat the brain, do not last long.

26 Feb 2019

Study uncovers potential role of Foxp1 protein in control of autoimmune diseases

Scientists at the Higher School of Economics, the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center created a genetic model that helps to understand how the body restrains autoimmune and oncological diseases.

26 Feb 2019