Immunology News and Research

Latest Immunology News and Research

Expert panel recommends standardized criteria to define placental SARS-CoV-2 infection

A panel of experts convened by the National Institutes of Health has recommended standardized criteria to define infection of the placenta with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

9 Aug 2021

New technique can be used to directly image atherosclerotic plaques

If heart attacks blared a warning signal, patients would have a better chance of avoiding them. That's the idea behind a new imaging technique developed by a Spartan-led team of researchers.

9 Aug 2021

Affinity maturation of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies make them more powerful and resistant to escape mutations

A new study in the journal Immunity shows in fascinating detail how antibodies elicited by this virus show affinity maturation, a process occurring by somatic hypermutation (SHM) in the lymphoid germinal centers, to become more specific in their recognition of antigens.

6 Aug 2021

University of Pittsburgh invests in Canopy Biosciences’ ChipCytometry instrument for spatial biology

Canopy Biosciences, a Bruker Company, today announced that the University of Pittsburgh will add ChipCytometry for high-plex single-cell spatial biology to its capabilities at the Unified Flow Core in the Department of Immunology

From Bruker Nano Surfaces and Metrology 6 Aug 2021

Vaccinia-based COVID-19 vaccines confer immunity in hamster model

In a paper recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv* by Kulkarni et al. (August 3, 2021), the potential of vaccinia virus-based vaccines expressing the full-length SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is examined in mice and Syrian hamsters. The findings report that the vaccine generates high titers of neutralizing antibodies with good activity towards SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.

5 Aug 2021

New study examines B cell receptor repertoires in COVID-19 patients

In a paper recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv* by Kim et al. (August 2, 2021), the B cell receptor repertoire of 1,060 COVID-19 patients is compared to that of an equal number of healthy volunteers in a novel manner, utilizing computational deep-learning-based protein embedding techniques, which demonstrate a resolution capable of tracking the changes in immunity in an individual over the course of infection.

5 Aug 2021

How does the mRNA/lipid nanoparticle platform promote protective adaptive immunity against SARS-CoV-2?

Modified mRNA combined with lipid nanoparticles may be beneficial in boosting adaptive immunity against SARS-CoV-2. Research led by Botond Z. Igyártó from Thomas Jefferson University’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology in Pennsylvania recently found that the lipid nanoparticles induce protective adaptive immune responses with antibody titers against lethal doses of the virus.

5 Aug 2021

Restoring cholesterol levels could be a new therapeutic approach for diseases linked to TDP-43 protein

Researchers in Singapore have discovered that brain cells cannot maintain the cholesterol-rich myelin sheath that protects and insulates neurons in the absence of a protein called TDP-43.

4 Aug 2021

Investigational treatment improves survival rate of babies lacking thymus

An investigational treatment pioneered by a Duke Health pediatrician resulted in a one-year survival rate of 77% among children born with a rare condition in which they lack an immune system.

4 Aug 2021

Study provides new insights for understanding dynamic changes in immune responses to COVID-19

A KAIST immunology research team found that a specific subtype of macrophages that originated from blood monocytes plays a key role in the hyper-inflammatory response in SARS-CoV-2 infected lungs, by performing single-cell RNA sequencing of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cells.

4 Aug 2021

Lipid blast shield protects natural killer cells and also some cancer cells

A newly discovered fat 'shield' that prevents natural killer cells from being destroyed by their own deadly biological weapons also allows some cancer cells to evade an immune system attack, a study at Columbia University has found.

3 Aug 2021

Study sheds light on oral vaccine failure in mouse model of chronic gut disorder

A chronic gut disorder that occurs in regions with poor sanitation disrupts intestinal immune responses and impairs oral vaccine effectiveness in a mouse model of the disease, according to research led by UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists.

3 Aug 2021

Public and private SARS-CoV-2 T cell receptors may be crucial for pan-coronavirus vaccines

Researchers have just established a structural basis for two spike glycoprotein epitopes of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that are restricted to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) A2 molecules. More specifically, they are involved in the presentation of antigenic peptides to specific T lymphocytes and recognized by public and private T cell receptors. The research is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

2 Aug 2021

Study provides new understanding on function of mitofusin 2 in cellular energy metabolism

Mitofusin 2 is a key protein in the regulation of the physiology of mitochondria ─cellular organelles that produce energy─ involved in several neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, as well as in cancer.

30 Jul 2021

Antibacterial immunity may change in the intestines based on circadian cycle

The body's ability to prevent food poisoning by producing a natural antimicrobial compound increases during the day, when exposure to noxious bacteria is most likely, a new study by UT Southwestern scientists suggests.

28 Jul 2021

Biomarker shows potential to predict immunotherapy benefit for breast cancer patients

A biomarker that has proven to be a predictor for response to immunotherapies in melanoma patients also has clinical relevance for breast cancer patients, according to a new study published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

27 Jul 2021

Immunology News and Research

Latest Immunology News and Research

Expert panel recommends standardized criteria to define placental SARS-CoV-2 infection

New technique can be used to directly image atherosclerotic plaques

Affinity maturation of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies make them more powerful and resistant to escape mutations

University of Pittsburgh invests in Canopy Biosciences’ ChipCytometry instrument for spatial biology

Vaccinia-based COVID-19 vaccines confer immunity in hamster model

New study examines B cell receptor repertoires in COVID-19 patients

How does the mRNA/lipid nanoparticle platform promote protective adaptive immunity against SARS-CoV-2?

Restoring cholesterol levels could be a new therapeutic approach for diseases linked to TDP-43 protein

Investigational treatment improves survival rate of babies lacking thymus

Study provides new insights for understanding dynamic changes in immune responses to COVID-19

Lipid blast shield protects natural killer cells and also some cancer cells

Study sheds light on oral vaccine failure in mouse model of chronic gut disorder

Public and private SARS-CoV-2 T cell receptors may be crucial for pan-coronavirus vaccines

Study provides new understanding on function of mitofusin 2 in cellular energy metabolism

Antibacterial immunity may change in the intestines based on circadian cycle

Biomarker shows potential to predict immunotherapy benefit for breast cancer patients

PerkinElmer to Acquire Antibody and Reagent Leader BioLegend

Study could lead to blood-based diagnostic test for schizophrenia

Study reveals safety of second mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose after allergic reactions to first dose

Novel atlas charts how different antibodies attack a major piece of SARS-CoV-2 machinery

Immunology eBook

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production