Immune System News and Research

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Liver immune cells contain inert HIV and are unlikely to reproduce infection, study reveals

In a proof-of-principle study, researchers at Johns Hopkins revealed that certain immune system cells found in the human liver, called liver macrophages, contain only inert HIV and aren't likely to reproduce infection on their own in HIV-infected people on long-term antiretroviral therapy.

30 Nov 2018

Researchers generate six antibodies to diagnose and treat Zika virus

Researchers have generated six Zika virus antibodies that could be used to test for and possibly treat a mosquito-borne disease that has infected more than 1.5 million people worldwide.

29 Nov 2018

ECDC and WHO release latest data on HIV epidemic in the European Region

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the WHO Regional Office for Europe release the latest data on the HIV epidemic in the European Region, marking the 30th anniversary of World AIDS Day.

29 Nov 2018

Researchers find how skin cancer cells avoid attack by the immune system

Researchers at the Mainz University Medical Center discovered a new signal pathway employed by skin cancer cells to avoid attack by the immune system. In an animal model and through analysis of human tissue samples, Dr. Toszka Bohn, Dr. Steffen Rapp and Professor Tobias Bopp were able to demonstrate the significant role played by a specific protein called ICER.

29 Nov 2018

FDA approves new drug for treatment of rare autoimmune disorder

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Firdapse (amifampridine) tablets for the treatment of Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) in adults.

29 Nov 2018

New study solves longstanding mystery in innate immunity

UT Southwestern biochemist and Breakthrough Prize winner Dr. Zhijian "James" Chen's newest study answers a long-standing question in the field of innate immunity.

29 Nov 2018

Influenza vaccination may reduce severity of infection in vaccinated but still infected patients

The study, published in the scientific journal Eurosurveillance, also counts on the participation of researchers from the Public Health Agency of Catalonia, the Lleida Institute of Biomedical Research and the Barcelona Public Health Agency.

28 Nov 2018

New method could improve outcome of leukemia patients receiving stem-cell transplants

Stem-cell transplantation is an effective form of therapy to fight leukemia. In many cases, however, the transferred immune cells of the donor also attack the recipients' healthy tissue - often with fatal consequences.

28 Nov 2018

UT Southwestern researchers discover enzyme that promotes tumor growth

UT Southwestern researchers have found that an enzyme on the surface of some lung cancer cells helps feed the cancer, making it a tempting treatment target.

28 Nov 2018

Researchers map cells in the early human placenta to shed light on pregnancy complications

To treat and prevent pregnancy-related disorders, researchers must understand not only what can go wrong, but when. Complications, such as preeclampsia and pre-term birth, often occur in the second or third trimester, and most research to date has focused on those later stages of pregnancy. But the biological events that lead to these problems could start much earlier.

28 Nov 2018

Scientists visualize action of immune cells in response to cancer cell proliferation

As tumors develop, they evolve genetically. How does the immune system act when faced with tumor cells? How does it exert pressure on the genetic diversity of cancer cells? Scientists from the Institut Pasteur and Inserm used in vivo video techniques and cell-specific staining to visualize the action of immune cells in response to the proliferation of cancer cells.

28 Nov 2018

Lipid that helps keep skin cell turnover on track may aid in psoriasis

A lipid that helps keep skin cell turnover on track may help restore healthy turnover in psoriasis, investigators say.

28 Nov 2018

Microbiologists uncover how antibiotics help spread resistance

Bacteria can become insensitive to antibiotics by picking up resistance genes from the environment. Unfortunately for patients, the stress response induced by antibiotics activates competence, the ability of cells to take up and integrate foreign DNA, in microorganisms.

27 Nov 2018

Discovery could be used to prevent viral infection and autoimmunity

Researchers have discovered that chemical changes to mRNA regulate the production of interferon beta, and hope to exploit this in new treatments.

27 Nov 2018

Research may pave way for development of potent weapons against cancer

Despite significant advances in cancer research, the disease continues to exact a devastating toll. Because cancer is a disease of the body's own cells, which mutate and develop under evolutionary pressure, conventional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation often leave behind a residue of resistant cells that go on to expand and wreak havoc.

27 Nov 2018

CytoReason announces publication of new model for translating data from mouse models to human disease

CytoReason, developer of the world's first machine learning platform for human immune system cell-level simulation, today announces publication of a groundbreaking new model for translating data from mouse models to human disease.

27 Nov 2018

Breakthrough achieved in decoding multi-resistant pathogens

Researchers at the University of Tübingen and the German Center for Infection Research have achieved a breakthrough in the decoding of multi-resistant pathogens.

26 Nov 2018

Scripps Research scientists reveal potential new approach to design HIV vaccines

A new candidate HIV vaccine from Scripps Research surmounts technical hurdles that stymied previous vaccine efforts, and stimulates a powerful anti-HIV antibody response in animal tests.

26 Nov 2018

MERS virus that causes harmless cold in camels can be fatal for humans

What causes only a harmless cold in camels can be fatal for humans: an infection with the MERS virus. Since its discovery in 2012, the virus was detected in approximately 2,000 patients and 36 percent of them have not survived the severe lung disease known as MERS.

22 Nov 2018

Starved ticks try harder to find hosts

Ticks are hardy little brutes that can go as long as a year without a meal. Now scientists at the University of Cincinnati say the hungrier ticks are, the harder they try to find you or other hosts. The findings could have implications for the spread of tick-borne disease such as Lyme or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

21 Nov 2018