Interferon News and Research

RSS

Scientists identify how early responses of immune system can affect development of EBOV disease

A new mouse model of early Ebola virus infection has shown National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists and colleagues how early responses of the immune system can affect development of EBOV disease.

18 Jan 2017

Study finds that T cells play important role in control of Zika infections

The worst of the global Zika virus outbreak may be over but many key questions remain, such as why the virus persists in certain tissues after the systemic infection has cleared; how does the immune system counteract the virus and protect against reinfection; what determines the likelihood of long-term complications?

12 Jan 2017

Research findings could lead to development of novel therapeutic approaches against viral infections

Life is a question of balance, and the body is no exception. Expression levels of certain proteins can affect the immune system's ability to neutralize a virus.

12 Jan 2017

Researchers identify sub-population of HIV-1 strains with biological properties to transmit new infections

Upon sexual exposure, the AIDS virus must overcome some mighty barriers to find the right target cell and establish a new infection.

11 Jan 2017

Blocking protein that initiates immune response against viral infections may help combat HIV

In findings they call counterintuitive, a team of UCLA-led researchers suggests that blocking a protein, which is crucial to initiating the immune response against viral infections, may actually help combat HIV.

23 Dec 2016

Dual treatment strategies lengthen lives of mice with skin cancer

By combining two treatment strategies, both aimed at boosting the immune system's killer T cells, Johns Hopkins researchers report they lengthened the lives of mice with skin cancer more than by using either strategy on its own.

21 Dec 2016

New UTMB study sheds light on how Ebola effectively disables immune system

A new study at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston sheds light on how Ebola so effectively disables the human immune system.

6 Dec 2016

Research provides insight into molecular mechanisms involved in immune response to HBV

The innate immune system in mammals defends against infection from viruses and other microbial infections.

28 Nov 2016

Hepatitis C virus sabotages antiviral defenses of liver cells by blunting effect of immune proteins

The virus that causes hepatitis C protects itself by blocking signals that call up immune defenses in liver cells, according to University of Washington researchers and colleagues reporting Nov. 14 in Nature Medicine.

17 Nov 2016

Suppressed vaginal immune response makes women more susceptible to RNA viruses

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes discovered that the vaginal immune system is suppressed in response to RNA viruses, such as Zika.

16 Nov 2016

Scientists discover important link between immune system, gut bacteria and glucose metabolism

Researchers at Oregon State University and other institutions have discovered an important link between the immune system, gut bacteria and glucose metabolism -- a "cross-talk" and interaction that can lead to type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome when not functioning correctly.

14 Nov 2016

Researchers discover set of immune proteins that facilitate long-lasting immunity against malaria

Houston Methodist researchers have discovered a set of immune proteins that facilitate long-lasting immunity against malaria.

7 Nov 2016

TSRI researchers uncover mechanism behind T cell exhaustion

In a new study with broad implications for treating cancers and chronic viral infections, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have uncovered a mechanism behind a phenomenon called “T cell exhaustion.”

2 Nov 2016

Two genes linked to increase in immunity to hepatitis C after childbirth, study shows

Alternative forms of two genes are associated with a boost in immunity to hepatitis C after childbirth, a study led by a Nationwide Children's Hospital physician-researcher shows.

31 Oct 2016

Study reveals potential therapeutic targets for treating patients who carry IFNGR receptor mutation

The study began by taking the medical history of 11 children, all of whom had a disorder due to mycobacteria infections, as the basis. All were discovered to have the same phenotype with the same mutation, which was located in the interferon-gamma (IFNGR) receptor, so the group began to explore what was causing this dysfunction.

27 Oct 2016

Immune checkpoint inhibitor as adjuvant therapy improves overall survival in patients with stage III melanoma

Ipilimumab as adjuvant therapy significantly improves overall survival in patients with high risk stage III melanoma, according to the EORTC 18071 phase III trial results presented for the first time today at the ESMO 2016 Congress in Copenhagen.

8 Oct 2016

Researchers explain why explain why some tumors recur after immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a new and highly promising form of treatment for cancer. In many patients, however, tumors recur after immunotherapy.

7 Oct 2016

JAK inhibitors show promise in restoring hair growth in patients with alopecia areata

Seventy-five percent of patients with moderate to severe alopecia areata--an autoimmune disease that causes patchy, and less frequently, total hair loss--had significant hair regrowth after treatment with ruxolitinib, reported researchers from Columbia University Medical Center. By the end of their treatment, average hair regrowth was 92 percent.

5 Oct 2016

Discovery of rare flu-thwarting mutation could provide new strategy for live influenza vaccines

A rare and improbable mutation in a protein encoded by an influenza virus renders the virus defenseless against the body's immune system. This University of Rochester Medical Center discovery could provide a new strategy for live influenza vaccines in the future.

4 Oct 2016

Researchers discover how signals from infectious bacteria get to inflammasome sensors

Researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have discovered the way signals from infectious bacteria gain entry into the cytoplasm of host cells to activate disease-fighting inflammasomes.

29 Sep 2016