A new technology has been developed to suppress immune rejection, the biggest challenge in organ transplantation, without causing systemic side effects. A research team from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) and Ewha Womans Universi…
One of the most bothersome things about being sick or having seasonal allergies is that it makes your nose stuffy and blocked. This makes breathing in through your nostrils frustrating—if not altogether impossible.
Scientists have uncovered new genetic rules that determine whether the immune system’s “killer” T cells remain powerful long-term defenders or become worn out and ineffective. By building a detailed genetic atlas of CD8 T cell states, researchers ident…
As populations age worldwide, the decline of the immune system, a process known as immunosenescence, has become a critical biomedical challenge. This decline leads to increased susceptibility to infections, reduced vaccine effectiveness, and chronic lo…
Younger siblings of peanut-consuming children have an increased risk for peanut sensitization and allergy, which can be mitigated by early introduction of peanuts, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy,…
Researchers at King’s College London have discovered that an immune protein best known for protecting the body against infection also plays an important role in maintaining healthy bones. The research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of…
Cells in our immune system are best known for providing security against external invaders such as bacteria and viruses. These immune cells also guard against internal threats, including cancerous tumors. Different forms of cancer cells and tumors have…
For patients with asthma, receipt of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy for melanoma or renal cell carcinoma is not associated with an increased risk for exacerbations, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy…
Our immune system relies on T cells to fight infections. But T cells don’t just show up and react—first, they train, get a game plan, and coordinate their defenses in lymphoid organs. Researchers have struggled to understand how this counteroffensive e…
A study published in Stem Cell Reports demonstrates that genetically engineered human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) can overcome immune rejection in mice with humanized immune systems, surviving for five months in a stringent transplantation model. Th…
What impact does a viral infection have on our memory, attention, and concentration? The COVID-19 pandemic has reignited interest in this question, which has now been extended to other infections such as HIV, herpes, and hepatitis.
Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have identified a protein called tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) as a potential “switch” that can modulate a type of cancer cell death known as immunogenic cell death (ICD).
How people with compromised immune systems respond to vaccines is an important area of immunological research. A study led by York University has found that not only could machine-learning models accurately pinpoint differences in healthy controls and …
Cancer spreads (metastasizes) when tumor cells shed from a primary solid tumor (for example, in the breast) and embed in other organs, such as the lung, liver, and brain, and begin to grow. Most approaches to prevent this metastatic process aim to shri…
A study conducted by scientists from the Institut Pasteur has revealed that microbes protect the lungs from subsequently developing allergies and asthma. This long-term protection is “memorized” not by immune system cells, but by fibroblasts, structura…
The types of fats we consume directly impacts the survival and strength of the body’s immune cells and ability to fight disease, researchers have found. A University of Queensland team led an international collaboration that found diet could change the…
The “hygiene hypothesis” suggests exposure to diverse types of microbes may protect against developing diseases caused by allergens, but a new study in mice reveals that adults’ exposure to diverse microbes and allergens may in fact worsen certain alle…
Savannah Bee Company is recalling a batch of its Honey BBQ Sauce-Mustard after discovering the product may contain undeclared wheat and soy, two common allergens.
One of the big mysteries in food allergy is why two people with similar levels of peanut-specific antibodies can react so differently. It turns out the answer may be in the mouth and gut’s bacteria. A new study, led by researchers at McMaster Universit…
Researchers at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) and Monash University in Australia have demonstrated that an intranasal vaccine booster may confer significantly stronger and broader immune responses, …
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have found that a natural fungal supplement taken at the time of COVID-19 vaccination reduced short-term vaccine side effects and helped antibodies—the body’s natural immune defenders…
Pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages involved in immune responses accelerate the progression of melanoma through the extracellular vesicles they secrete, a study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. The findings are published in Cell Communication …
New research from National Jewish Health suggests that long-acting beta-agonists (LABAs), commonly used in combination asthma inhalers, are not associated with more severe reactions during oral food challenges in children with asthma and food allergy. …
A wearable device that alerts people with food allergies before a reaction begins has the potential to reduce life-threatening anaphylaxis and transform allergy management from reactive to preventive care. The AllergE patch is a microneedle-based biose…
A new AI-based method reconstructs spatial information about where immune cells were originally located in an organ, even after these cells have been removed from the tissue and analyzed individually. To accomplish this, researchers at the University H…
Researchers are developing a two-part therapy for type 1 diabetes: lab-made insulin-producing cells paired with custom-engineered immune cells that protect them. The goal is to stop the immune system from destroying transplanted cells — without using i…
Researchers at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX), in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have developed the first bandage-like microneedle patch that can sample the body’s immune responses painlessly from the skin. The device…
That photogenic cup of bubble tea may come with hidden downsides. Tapioca pearls made from cassava can absorb heavy metals like lead, and in large amounts they may slow digestion or even cause blockages. The drink is often loaded with sugar—sometimes m…
Researchers from Queen Mary University of London have found that a medication originally developed for glycemic control can reverse serious heart damage—not by controlling blood sugar as originally intended, but by retraining the immune system to prote…
For patients with advanced melanoma without BRAF mutation who no longer respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors, treatment options remain frustratingly limited. A new study from Vanderbilt researchers led by Professor Emerita of Pharmacology Ann Richmo…
A team from the Monash University Biomedicine Discovery Institute has identified a tick-derived evasin that can bind to two major classes of chemokines, a discovery that is important for the development of therapeutics targeting inflammatory and autoim…
A new study from researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem provides fresh insight into how pancreatic cancer may begin taking shape years before it is clinically detected. The research shows that early precancerous pancreatic cells organize int…
Immunotherapy has been generally ineffective for prostate cancer because the tumors are considered immunologically “cold,” meaning they do not attract enough immune cells to mount a strong attack. Hormone therapy commonly used for prostate cancer, call…
New research co-led by Burnet Institute and WEHI has uncovered how the human immune system fights Plasmodium vivax, paving the way for the first effective vaccine against the most widespread form of malaria. Published in Immunity, the study provides cr…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Dupixent (dupilumab) for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients aged 6 years and older with allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) and a history of sino-nasal surgery.
An autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid gland, called autoimmune hypothyroidism (AIHT), is the most common autoimmune disease, yet it remains largely understudied. New research from scientists at Broad Institute, University of Helsinki, and oth…
CAR T cell therapy has revolutionized the treatment of many blood cancers, but has shown little success against solid tumors, which account for over 85% of all cancers. Columbia researchers have now found that a new type of cell therapy—HIT cells, a co…
Researchers at the University of Liège have identified a key genetic regulator that enables macrophages to reach full maturity and preserve the health of our organs. The MafB factor, a veritable “molecular switch,” activates or deactivates certain gene…
An Australian teenager who died after eating beef sausages on a camping trip has been confirmed as the nation’s first death from a tick-induced meat allergy. New South Wales Deputy State Coroner Carmel Forbes Jeremy Webb died in 2022 from an anaphylact…
A research team led by Professor Ki-Young Lee at the College of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, has uncovered a previously unrecognized tumor-intrinsic role of the immune checkpoint molecule PD-L1, providing new mechanistic insight into lung cancer …
It’s widely known that breastfeeding impacts the health of both mother and child, but the underlying biology that leads to these effects has been understudied. In a review article published in Trends in Immunology, researchers highlight recent studies …
Yale researchers have developed a machine learning model, called Immunostruct, that can help scientists create more personalized vaccines, including vaccines for cancer. They described the tool in Nature Machine Intelligence along with findings from ap…
A causal relationship appears to exist between increased air pollution and outpatient visits for chronic rhinitis, according to a study published in The Laryngoscope. Su Hwan Kim, from Gyeongsang National University in Jinju, South Korea, and colleague…
Young infants hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) often become much sicker than those infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. In a study published in Science Translational Medicine, scientists from St. Jude Children’s …
Since scientists first discovered that human immune cells could be modified to become cancer-fighting agents, they’ve been trying to engineer a cell that’s effective against solid tumors, which account for the vast majority of cancer cases. In a key ad…
A team of researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Weill Cornell Medicine, and other institutions have uncovered a key biological explanation for why eczema so often starts in childhood. The study, in young mice, found that some type…
UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified two lipids that work together with a quintessential protein known as stimulator of interferon genes (STING) to launch an immune response in the human body. Their findings, detailed in two paper…
A new study has overcome a long-standing challenge: how to isolate and study elusive HIV-infected cells called authentic reservoir clones (ARCs) that evade the immune system, making the disease difficult to cure. Researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine…
Vaccines have traditionally worked by teaching the immune system to recognize a specific virus or bacterium—in effect, showing it a wanted poster for a single suspect. But what if one vaccine could protect against dozens of different infections at once…
Why can the human immune system often remember a vaccination for a whole lifetime? Researchers at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen have now investigated this question. Their study provides a surp…
Researchers with the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience have modified a well-known immune protein to spark the growth of new neurons, ease brain inflammation, and improve cognition in old mice. The findings, published in the journal Immunity, could…
A new study has shed light on why patients with certain rare immune disorders develop severe, food-triggered allergic reactions while others with similar diagnoses do not. The findings, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, could help guid…
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke investigators at the National Institutes of Health traced meningeal immune activity to dural venous sinuses that actively constrict and dilate, exchange fluid across a permeable wall, and coordina…
Scientists at Stanford Medicine have unveiled a bold new kind of “universal” vaccine that could one day protect against everything from COVID-19 and the flu to bacterial pneumonia and even common allergens. Instead of targeting a specific virus or bact…
Deep in the folds of the intestine, in microscopic pockets called crypts, a quiet surveillance system is always at work. Stem cells lining the gut wall are not just rebuilding tissue—they are listening and signaling. When certain strains of Escherichia…
Over 95% of the world’s adult population is infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), but most people never realize it. The infection often causes few symptoms and then stays in the body for life.
A common strep throat infection can trigger guttate psoriasis by altering the behavior of key immune cells, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in eBioMedicine. The findings suggest how an infection can lead to sudden skin inf…
Researchers at the Ribeirao Preto Blood Center and the Center for Cell-Based Therapy (CTC) conducted a study using the NK-92 cell line to test new models of chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) with specific costimulatory domains, such as 2B4 and DAP12. T…
Chronic pain lasts longer for women than men, and new research suggests differences in hormone-regulated immune cells, called monocytes, may help explain why.
Umbilical cord blood transplantation has transformed the treatment options for patients with blood cancers and other life-threatening hematologic disorders, particularly when matched donors are unavailable. While cord blood is known for its ability to …
For many people diagnosed with cancer, treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has dramatically extended lives. Some of these treatments, such as Keytruda and Opdivo, have become familiar brand names. However, for some patients, ICI cancer t…
People often remark that allergies run in their family, but the genetic causes have remained unclear. Previous food allergy genetic research has relied upon broad but surface-level methods called genome-wide association studies.
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a rare autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the connection between nerves and muscles. This attack causes muscle weakness that can affect vision, movement, speech, swallowing, and breathing. While many patient…
Mayo Clinic researchers and collaborators have identified a previously unrecognized way lung tumors weaken the immune system, helping explain why many patients do not respond to immunotherapy and pointing to a potential new approach to make those treat…
In the realm of medical advancements, a universal vaccine that can protect against any pathogen has long been a Holy Grail—and about as elusive as a mythological vessel. But Stanford Medicine researchers and collaborators have taken an astonishing step…
A research team investigating the use of the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes against colorectal cancer has discovered a way to build a modified version of Listeria as an oral vaccine to prime the immune system directly within the gut, where anti-tumor…
Among the most promising tools of cancer therapy, engineered immune cells known as chimeric antigen-receptor (CAR) T cells have already transformed the treatment of blood cancers. Yet, despite their promise, CAR-T cells do have their limitations. For o…
A new human study has uncovered how the body naturally turns off inflammation. Researchers found that fat-derived molecules called epoxy-oxylipins rein in immune cells that can otherwise drive chronic disease. Using a drug to boost these molecules redu…
As new infectious threats emerge worldwide, a key U.S. health agency is quietly stepping away from language tied to pandemic planning, a change some experts warn could leave Americans less protected when the next crisis hits.
Age, biological sex, and human genetic factors influence the production of antibodies during the immune response. A team of scientists from the Institut Pasteur, the CNRS and the Collège de France have shown that these factors determine not only the qu…
Dr. Vadim Jucaud’s lab at the Terasaki Institute has developed a vascularized liver tissueoid-on-a-chip (LToC) platform that recapitulates key structural, functional, and immunological features of human liver tissue, enabling the study of liver regener…
A novel study using a mouse model has found that the absence of the angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) protein during development triggers a long-lasting reprogramming of the immune system that protects against intestinal inflammation. The findings from the…
Northwestern researchers have shown that when it comes to cancer vaccines, arrangement can be just as important as ingredients. By repositioning a small fragment of an HPV protein on a DNA-based nanovaccine, the team dramatically strengthened the immun…
Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, have discovered that immune cells known as macrophages remain poised to fight repeat infections due to the persistent presence of signaling molecules left behind during previous infections. Th…
For patients aged 5 to 25 years, allergic conjunctivitis is associated with an increased risk for keratoconus and increased corneal diagnostic procedures, according to a study published in the February issue of Contact Lens and Anterior Eye.
We are now approaching six years since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, yet talk of vaccines and our immune systems persists in our cultural conversations—from political arenas to the dinner table.
Many everyday foods and seasonings—such as herbs, spices, and aromatic plants—contain natural compounds called phytochemicals that can regulate inflammatory pathways. For centuries, these ingredients have been used together in traditional cuisine and h…
A collaborative study published in Immunity from the Batista Lab and Liu Lab at the Ragon Institute, together with the Schief Lab at Scripps Research Institute, has uncovered a previously unrecognized mechanism that shapes how immune cells are selected…
Secondary infections caused by bacteria or viruses during hospital care remain a long-standing global challenge, despite advances in modern medicine. In particular, mixed bacterial-viral infections in critically ill or immunocompromised patients are ex…
In 2024, Professor Sebastian Kobold’s research group at LMU University Hospital had already shown that the metabolite prostaglandin E2 can block T cells—the killer cells of the immune system—in the vicinity of a tumor, such that they do not attack canc…
A powerful artificial intelligence (AI) tool could give clinicians a head start in identifying life-threatening complications after stem cell and bone marrow transplants, according to new research from MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. For many patients, a …
A parasite that may already be hiding in your brain has a shocking survival trick: it can infect the very immune cells sent to destroy it. Yet most people never get sick, and new research from UVA Health reveals why. Scientists discovered that when Tox…
Northwestern Medicine scientists have identified the cellular mechanisms that cause immune cells to differentiate and ultimately lose function during viral infection, findings that could improve treatments to control chronic infections, according to a …
A study analyzes the relationship between pollen and meteorological data spanning 23 years, verifying how the wind impacts each phase of the pollen season differently, thereby helping to manage and prevent allergy seasons. A multidisciplinary study con…
Immune Checkpoint Blockade (ICB) has revolutionized the treatment of cancers like melanoma, but up to 60% of patients don’t respond to this immunotherapy for reasons not yet fully understood. Australian scientists have found a way to improve the effect…
Cancer researchers working on immunotherapies have made a big discovery: SLAMF6, a molecule on the surface of immune cells that prevents T cells from effectively attacking tumors—and, in mice, they’ve found a way to neutralize it.
The gut microbiome may play an important role in how the immune system responds to gluten, even in people who do not have celiac disease. The findings, which could help explain why some people feel sick after eating gluten, were published in the Americ…
Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine discovered a surprising new way the body can fight insulin resistance and diabetes—by boosting a special type of “good” immune cell in fat tissue.
A global research collaboration of scientists from McMaster University (Canada), Flinders University (Australia) and Universitätsmedizin Greifswald (Germany) uncovered why a small number of people developed dangerous blood clots after either receiving …
Researchers at the University of California San Diego and the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System have identified a distinct biological pattern of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), a chronic respiratory illness frequently associated with exposure …
A team of leading clinical research scientists from the Departments of Psychiatry and Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has found that the serum of patients with major depressive disorder shares immune abnormalities with inflam…
Asthma affects millions of people worldwide, and adult women experience the condition more frequently—and often more severely—than men. Symptoms can also fluctuate during puberty, pregnancy and menopause, yet the biological reasons behind these sex-bas…
Scientists in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School and MIT have created a new family of tools that, for the first time, illuminates the missing half of how the immune system uses molecules called cytokines to communicate with the rest of t…
Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have identified blood-based biomarkers that can help distinguish patients with glioblastoma who are most likely to live longer from novel treatment with an engineered oncolytic virus, Del…
Because many different types of cancer cells overexpress programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), this cell surface protein is a major target of cancer immunotherapy. Unfortunately, drugs that target it do not trigger especially strong anticancer immune resp…
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, claims that vaccines can cause severe disease have been widespread on social media, with skeptics raising the alarm about what they call “turbo cancer.”
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have uncovered how chronic inflammation disrupts the immune system’s ability to heal the body, offering new insight into diseases associated with inflammation such as cancer, diabetes, hear…
