Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have shown for the first time that a type of human papillomavirus (HPV) commonly found on the skin can directly cause a form of skin cancer called cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) when cert…
Brazilian researchers have taken an important step toward precision medicine by identifying four genes that can predict which melanoma patients will not respond to immunotherapy. Although this treatment has revolutionized the fight against melanoma, th…
Researchers led by the University of Geneva and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne report that neural anticipation of virtual infection triggers an immune response through activation of innate lymphoid cells.
Modupe O. Coker from the School of Dental Medicine and a collaborative team of researchers identified changes over time in the oral microbiome of children living with HIV, offering insights into how early immune challenges shape not only oral health bu…
Cancer cells mount an instant, energy‑rich response to being physically squeezed, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications. The surge of energy is the first reported instance of a defensive mechanism that helps cells repair D…
A new discovery made by researchers from The Australian National University (ANU) could lead to smarter, more effective treatments for Hodgkin lymphoma, a common blood cancer.
Weill Cornell Medicine researchers have discovered that PD-1—a molecule best known for putting the brakes on immune cells—also plays a critical role in helping T cells become long-term immune defenders in the skin. Early during infection, PD-1 acts lik…
Of the 3.6 million babies born in the United States each year, about 80% begin breastfeeding in their first month of life. Breastfeeding has known benefits for both mother and child, reducing maternal risk of breast and ovarian cancers, type 2 diabetes…
Scientists studying a hard-to-treat form of blood cancer called acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have found that a type of treatment—immunotherapy—may help change the environment where cancer cells live, possibly helping the immune system respond more effe…
New designer proteins created using an AI tool can selectively target peptide segments that bind to markers on diseased cancer cells, acting like molecular flags that signal immune cells to attack and destroy the threats.
A team headed by Claude Perreault, Director of IRIC’s Immunobiology Research Unit and Professor at the Faculty of Medicine at Université de Montréal, has identified novel tumor antigens that could lead to the development of vaccines for the treatment o…
Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are a group of cancers that affect cells in and around our mouth and nose. With 890,000 new cases and 450,000 deaths annually, HNSCC accounts for roughly 4.5% of cancer diagnoses and deaths worldwide.
UCSF researchers have found that certain antiviral genes become less active over time in lupus, revealing why some patients see their symptoms fade as they age.
The targeted drug olutasidenib is highly effective in certain patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a condition considered incurable without transplantation, according to a new clinical study led by researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer…
Green tea and red wine may seem like simple dietary choices—but beneath the surface, they harbor compounds with remarkable medical potential. Scientists are uncovering how these everyday drinks might support cancer treatment, not by replacing conventio…
A Northeastern University researcher has identified a way to target two of the deadliest cancer types, melanoma and triple negative breast cancer, with chemotherapy drugs but without the harms associated with chemotherapy.
Researchers have discovered a way to make the immune system’s T cells significantly more effective at fighting cancer. By blocking a protein called Ant2, they were able to reprogram how these cells consume and generate energy—essentially rewiring their…
Oral immunotherapy helps many children with peanut allergy—but for some, it can also trigger severe allergic reactions. In the journal Allergy, a team led by Young-Ae Lee explains what might be behind these differences and how treatment could become mo…
Researchers from Columbia Engineering have established a framework for the design of bioactive injectable hydrogels formulated with extracellular vesicles (EVs) for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered how a hormone interacts with a receptor on the surface of immune cells to shield cancer cells from the body’s natural defenses.
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has joined with 40 other centers in the U.S. and Europe as a site in one of the first clinical trials testing cellular therapy for autoimmune disease in t…
The Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) and systemic oxidative stress (SOS) score are independently associated with poorer prognosis of low-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), according to a study published online July 4 in the Journal of Clinical Medi…
During most eye infections or injuries, neutrophils, immune cells found in the blood, are usually the first line of defense. However, researchers at the Flaum Eye Institute and Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester have di…
Precision cancer treatment on a larger scale is moving closer now that researchers have developed an AI platform to tailor protein components and arm the patient’s immune cells to fight cancer.
Researchers at Uppsala University have identified a promising therapeutic approach for the challenging blood cancer multiple myeloma. In a new preclinical study, they demonstrate that a dual treatment with drugs that inhibit epigenetic regulation reduc…
Investigators led by Navdeep Chandel, Ph.D., the David W. Cugell, MD, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, have discovered how the metabolism of mitochondria supports T-cell proliferation and also prevents T-cell exhaus…
Konstanz researchers identify an enzyme that plays a role in the migration of cells in our body—not only during normal tissue formation and wound healing, but also when tumor cells metastasize. This makes the enzyme an interesting candidate for potenti…
Cancer cells and tumors do not exist in a vacuum. Far from the isolation and self-sufficiency of the fictional Wakanda, tumors develop in and alter the nearby milieu of immune cells, connective tissue, blood vessels and a sea of proteins and carbohydra…
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), a powerful form of immunotherapy, have revolutionized cancer treatment by unleashing the body’s own immune system to fight tumors. These compounds target the programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), a surface protein…
In a recent paper published in Nature, researchers at the University of Chicago discovered how to block nicotinamide N-methyl transferase (NNMT), an enzyme that is involved in the progression of high-grade serous ovarian cancer. The team showed that NN…
Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is feasible in older patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), according to a study published online June 26 in the European Journal of Haematology.
The fatality rate for H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza in humans has historically been high, with more than half of people dying. Why, then, is the current H5N1 bird flu outbreak—which has caused massive die-offs in wild birds, farmed poultry and…
A team of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) researchers have made an important finding about why genetically engineered immune cells sometimes fail to finish the job when given as a cancer treatment. The new discovery sheds light on the tend…
A new study has revealed that autoantibodies—immune proteins traditionally associated with autoimmune disease—may profoundly influence how cancer patients respond to immunotherapy.
In a wholly new approach to cancer treatment, Northwestern University biomedical engineers have doubled the effectiveness of chemotherapy in animal experiments.
A new study by Indiana University School of Medicine researchers has revealed a breakthrough in the fight against acute myeloid leukemia, one of the most aggressive and fatal blood cancers in adults. The discovery of a previously unrecognized immune ce…
A promising breakthrough in cancer treatment is taking shape at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR), where scientists are developing a powerful radioisotope that could one day precisely target and destroy cancer cells.
Lymphoid-derived conventional dendritic cells (L-cDCs) may play a unique function associated with immune suppression and allergy induction, as reported by researchers from Japan. Long thought to arise only from myeloid lineages, cDCs were found to also…
New research from the University of Pittsburgh reveals how the immune system defends against intestinal parasitic worms, or helminths, one of the most common infections worldwide in communities with limited access to clean water and sanitation.
An enzyme expressed by skin cells could be helpful in the management of non-healing skin wounds and ulcers, according to research by University of Manchester and Singapore’s A*STAR Skin Research Lab scientists.
Scientists have uncovered a molecular “on–off” switch that helps lung adenocarcinoma—the most common form of lung cancer—grow and spread. The discovery pinpoints the protein calcyclin‑binding protein (CACYBP) as a key driver of tumor activity and sugge…
By sparking the immune system into action, radiation therapy makes certain tumors that resist immunotherapy susceptible to the treatment, leading to positive outcomes for patients, according to new research by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel …
Around 10 million people globally live with the life-threatening virus HTLV-1. Yet it remains a poorly understood disease that currently has no preventative treatments and no cure.
Consumption of soft drinks, supplemented with white sugar, alters the DNA of gut bacteria and affects the host immune system. The good news? These effects are reversible.
Regulatory T cells (Treg cells) are a specialized subgroup of immune cells that play a central role in the human immune system. These cells can suppress erroneous and therefore harmful immune reactions that can lead to autoimmune diseases, for example….
In a new study published in Cancer Immunology Research, scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed a novel method to generate billions of rare immune cells known as conventional type I dendritic cells (cDC1s), potentially …
Immune responses rely on the efficient movement of immune cells within the complex and geometrically unpredictable three-dimensional tissues that make up our bodies.
What if mRNA vaccines could be made more powerful and less irritating? Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have found a way to do just that—by tweaking a key molecule in the vaccine’s delivery system. Using a century-old chemical trick called …
A 3D paper-based analytical device (3D-osPAD) with in situ gold signal amplification enables one-step, highly sensitive detection of anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies within 10 minutes, showing 10-fold improved sensitivity and high clinical accuracy for adult-…
Two junior research groups at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, have developed a drug complex that kills cancer cells in such a clever manner that they raise a red flag as they die. They signal to the immune system that something is seriously wrong with…
An experimental mRNA vaccine has boosted the tumor-fighting effects of immunotherapy in a mouse-model study, bringing researchers one step closer to their goal of developing a universal vaccine to “wake up” the immune system against cancer.
Researchers at MIT and other institutions have identified compounds that can fight off viral infection by activating a defense pathway inside host cells. These compounds, they believe, could be used as antiviral drugs that work against not just one but…
A protein called PAR1 helps lymphatic vessels structurally transform to boost fluid drainage and support healing when the lungs are injured according to researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine. Injury—whether by infection, toxins, or trauma—can cause f…
Controlling the activity of specific genes in the laboratory through the editing of their epigenetic marks is now a reality thanks to the CRISPR technology. A team from the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute has demonstrated that it is possible…
Doctors and genetic researchers at The University of Manchester have discovered that changes in a gene leads to severe nerve damage in children following a mild bout of infection.
New research has found that delivering a stronger form of the tuberculosis vaccine directly to the lungs can help generate protective immune cells to help fight the disease. The research is published in the journal Mucosal Immunology.
A specially engineered antibody that can accurately deliver RNA treatments into hard-to-reach and hard-to-treat tumors significantly improved survival and reduced tumor sizes in animal models, according to a study reported in Science Translational Medi…
Blindness, pneumonia, severe diarrhea and even death—measles virus infections, especially in children, can have devastating consequences. Fortunately, we have a safe and effective defense. Measles vaccines are estimated to have averted more than 60 mil…
Cells and tissues surrounding a breast cancer tumor may hold critical information about how patients will respond to treatment, according to a new study from Johns Hopkins University.
mRNA bundled in lipid nanoparticles trains T cells in mice to eliminate cancer. Coupled with noninvasive imaging, researchers tracked the in situ CAR-T cells to assess their effectiveness and safety.
Immunotherapy using CAR T cells is finding ever more applications. In addition to their use in the treatment of blood and lymphatic cancers, CAR T cells are now also being investigated for solid tumors and various autoimmune diseases. With the growing …
Although relatively rare, many childhood cancers remain life-threatening and lack effective personalized treatments. Rhabdoid tumors are among these fatal cancers and can develop in various tissues and organs. Approximately 12 new cases of this extreme…
The National Cancer Center Research Institute in Tokyo reports that a newly isolated gut bacterium, designated Hominenteromicrobium strain YB328, mobilizes specialized dendritic cells to strengthen the impact of PD-1 blockade immunotherapy across sever…
High dietary inflammatory index (DII), which quantifies the inflammatory potential of diet, is associated with increased prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD), according to a study published online June 19 in Frontiers of Immunology.
As cancer cases have increased worldwide, the disease has become more complex, presenting challenges to scientific advances in diagnosis and treatment. In this context, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a valuable tool for predicting and dete…
Cervical cancer is one of the most common gynecologic cancers worldwide and continues to be a leading cause of cancer-related death in women. While early detection through screening has improved outcomes, treatment options for advanced or recurrent dis…
Viruses and bacteria are always trying to sneak into our bodies, but researchers at the University of Missouri are discovering that our own biology may already hold the keys to fighting off some of the deadliest infectious threats.
A new international study led by researchers at McMaster University has identified the most effective and safest treatments for people suffering from chronic urticaria, more commonly known as chronic hives.
Immune checkpoints are regulatory proteins that prevent the immune system from attacking healthy tissues. Some cancer cells exploit these checkpoints to avoid immune detection. Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB)—a therapy that uses antibodies to block th…
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and collaborators have identified a previously overlooked protein, Epac1, as a key driver of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic and progressive lung-scarring disease. Their findings…
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg and ETH Zurich have created the first integrated map detailing the metabolic and molecular changes in human blood stem cells as they age, specialize, or turn cancero…
Penicillins are first-choice antibiotics for many common infections, but more than one in 15 UK adults have a penicillin allergy label on their medical records. In the event of an infection, they will be prescribed alternative antibiotics which can be …
The United States could safely drop tetanus and diphtheria booster shots for adults and save an estimated $1 billion a year, according to a new review led by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University.
Singapore researchers have discovered that a new cancer drug, originally developed at A*STAR Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (A*STAR IMCB), shows potential as a new treatment approach for two leading causes of blindness worldwide.
DropScreen (DS) and ViewAllergy39 (VA) are not equally effective for detecting specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E involved in pollinosis, according to a study published online in the Journal of Immunoassay and Immunochemistry.
A study led by Prof. Liang Xingjie’s team from the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) reported a biomimetic physical barrier (BPB) that temporarily blocks T cell-tumor cell interactions, effectively …
Scientists from the Centenary Institute and the University of Sydney have made a landmark discovery that could lead to safer and more effective gene therapies for a range of serious genetic disorders including Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Pompe disease…
Feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP, is a serious and historically fatal disease in cats caused by a coronavirus. It behaves in many ways like severe coronavirus infections in humans, causing widespread inflammation, T cell exhaustion, and chronic im…
University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researcher Weisi Yan, M.D., Ph.D., recently shared his work on radiation therapy at a major international conference, showcasing how new techniques could better protect patients’ immune systems while fighting…
A new study conducted by researchers from McGill University, the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research (LDI) at the Jewish General Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Center and MIT has identified a novel approach to combat aggressive breast cancers…
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified over 250 proteins that are strongly affected by malaria, which could help predict the severity of the disease and thus enable faster treatment for the most critical patients.
A research team at the Medical University of Vienna has developed a blood test that allows the identification of individuals at risk for developing multiple sclerosis (MS) with a high degree of certainty years before the onset of symptoms. As a result,…
In order to produce effective targeted therapies for cancer, scientists need to isolate the genetic and phenotypic characteristics of cancer cells, both within and across different tumors, because those differences impact how tumors respond to treatment.
Researchers at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center have identified a signaling loop involved in the growth and persistence of leukemia cells—and developed a novel immunotherapy that can disrupt that loop to boost immune function and improve survival. The findi…
At the surface, the immune response to a flu virus is simple. Some cells recognize the pathogen and send a signal to the immune system, and immune cells produce a potentially lifesaving antibody against the virus. Antigen in, antibody out.
Young patients with advanced Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system, now have a better chance of having their own children after treatment.
Approximately 40% of the European population are allergic to pollen, and their symptoms cause an estimated loss of 100 million school and workdays every year.
Four years after pre-surgery treatment with a novel combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors, nivolumab and relatlimab, 87% of patients with stage III melanoma remained alive, according to new results from a study led by researchers at The Universit…
Adult-onset leukoencephalopathy with axonal spheroids and pigmented glia (ALSP) is a progressive neurological disease with an average age of onset at 43 years and an average life expectancy of only three to five years after symptoms begin. ALSP is caus…
In a follow-up analysis to the pivotal TOPAZ-1 study, which established the combination therapy of durvalumab (an immunotherapy drug) plus gemcitabine and cisplatin (GemCis, chemotherapy drugs) as the first-line treatment for people with advanced bilia…
In a newly published article in Nature Genetics, researchers from the University of Chicago have identified tumor aneuploidy—an imbalance in the number of chromosomes—as a powerful biomarker associated with resistance to immunotherapy across cancer typ…
Infections in the brain can have serious consequences and are often fatal. The immune defense system works differently here than in the rest of the body. A team of researchers at TWINCORE—Center for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research in Hanov…
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women worldwide and represents a major public health concern due to its high incidence and significant mortality rates. In the U.S. alone, approximately 297,790 new cases of invasive breast canc…
Researchers at University of Tsukuba have identified multiple T-cell subtypes with unique characteristics in follicular lymphoma, a prevalent type of blood cancer. These T cells regulate the proliferation and apoptosis of tumor cells and significantly …
Research led by Naval Medical University’s Changzheng Hospital in China reports that an off-the-shelf cell therapy built from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) loosened life-limiting skin and organ scarring in a woman with systemic sclerosis.
