Immunology News and Research

Latest Immunology News and Research

New research may help scientists develop treatments or vaccines for Dengue fever

Two recent papers by a University of Colorado School of Medicine researcher and colleagues may help scientists develop treatments or vaccines for Dengue fever, West Nile virus, Yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and other disease-causing flaviviruses.

18 Apr 2014

Research sheds new light on the development of HPV-associated cancer

It's long been known that certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) cause cancer. Now, researchers at The Ohio State University have determined a new way that HPV might spark cancer development - by disrupting the human DNA sequence with repeating loops when the virus is inserted into host-cell DNA as it replicates.

17 Apr 2014

Researchers uncover mechanism that may help explain severe forms of schistosomiasis

Researchers at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts and Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) have uncovered a mechanism that may help explain the severe forms of schistosomiasis, or snail fever, which is caused by schistosome worms and is one of the most prevalent parasitic diseases in the world. The study in mice, published online in The Journal of Immunology, may also offer targets for intervention and amelioration of the disease.

17 Apr 2014

Allergist says people allergic to multiple trees may have tough allergy this spring

The polar vortex may be on its way out, but it's certainly leaving its footprints behind. As spring rolls in, people allergic to multiple trees may have a tough allergy season - a consequence of the cold winter, says Mark Dykewicz, M.D., professor of allergy and immunology at Saint Louis University.

17 Apr 2014

UTMB experts honored with Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions to study of deadly diseases

The global experts who study the deadliest infectious diseases recognized the contributions of Frederick A. Murphy and Thomas G. Ksiazek, professors at the University of Texas Medical Branch, with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 6th annual International Symposium on Filoviruses. The filoviruses include Ebola and Marburg viruses that cause death in 50 to 90 percent of people infected. The current outbreak of Ebola virus raging in West Africa has caused more than 100 deaths so far.

16 Apr 2014

Community efforts boost people for HIV testing and reduce new infections

Communities in Africa and Thailand that worked together on HIV-prevention efforts saw not only a rise in HIV screening but a drop in new infections, according to a new study in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet Global Health.

16 Apr 2014

Researchers develop more accurate tool for diagnosing even mild cases of asthma

Using just a single drop of blood, a team of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers has developed a faster, cheaper and more accurate tool for diagnosing even mild cases of asthma.

16 Apr 2014

New study identifies potential target for colorectal cancer treatment

A new study identifies a molecule that is a probable driving force in colorectal cancer and suggests that the molecule could be an important target for colorectal cancer treatment and a valuable biomarker of tumor progression.

15 Apr 2014

Scientists discover how bacterium Y. pestis overwhelms lungs to cause pneumonic plague

Northwestern Medicine scientists are continuing to unravel the molecular changes that underlie one of the world's deadliest and most infamous respiratory infections.

15 Apr 2014

New data shows that gut microbiota has potential role in development of ALD

Exciting new data presented today at the International Liver Congress- 2014 shows that the gut microbiota has a potential role in the development of alcoholic liver disease (ALD).

15 Apr 2014

Findings pave way for potential therapy to combat H1N1 flu virus

Flu epidemics cause up to half a million deaths worldwide each year, and emerging strains continually threaten to spread to humans and cause even deadlier pandemics. A study by McGill University professor Maziar Divangahi published by Cell Press on April 10 in the journal Immunity reveals that a drug that inhibits a molecule called prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) increases survival rates in mice infected with a lethal dose of the H1N1 flu virus.

11 Apr 2014

Longer looks: Vermont's single payer system; Nevada's cancer cluster; the toll of dementia on a family

Skatchewan is a vast prairie province in the middle of Canada. It's home to hockey great Gordie Howe and the world's first curling museum. But Canadians know it for another reason: it's the birthplace of the country's single-payer health-care system.

11 Apr 2014

Too much of c-FLIPR protein can trigger autoimmune diseases

So-called c-FLIP proteins inhibit signaling cascades that can lead to apoptosis. This is important temporarily in the response to pathogens to ensure that lymphocytes, a type of immune cells, can proliferate sufficiently.

11 Apr 2014

EU-funded project aims to find solution to combat hepatitis C epidemic in Egypt

New ways to differentiate between chronic and self-clearing infections may help towards effective patient management and reduce drug costs. But there are major challenges in implementation.

11 Apr 2014

Scientists identify enzyme that could be a useful target in treating asthma, cancer

In experiments with mice, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists have identified an enzyme involved in the regulation of immune system T cells that could be a useful target in treating asthma and boosting the effects of certain cancer therapies.

11 Apr 2014