A sponge-like implant in mice helped guide a treatment that slowed or stopped a degenerative condition similar to multiple sclerosis in humans. It also gave researchers a look at how primary progressive multiple sclerosis, the fastest-progressing versi…
Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) is a key transcription factor in the type I interferon signaling. Its activation must be tightly controlled to efficiently activate innate immunity while avoiding its overactivation. However, the precise regulation…
Researchers have developed a novel analytical method for tracking disease progression in patients that shows great potential for health care implementation.
Opioid use during pregnancy—whether of highly addictive drugs like fentanyl or controlled opioids like buprenorphine—doubles the risk of preterm birth. A new Yale study reveals that inflammation may be the culprit.
The immune systems of cancer patients are highly disrupted, with those who have a higher number of immune cells in their blood having a better survival rate, finds a new study that uses a pioneering technique.
Researchers from Bonn and Erlangen identify the protein MLC1 as a target antigen in multiple sclerosis (MS); a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system caused by the immune system. B cells, which are a type of white blood cell, play a…
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive form of the disease that accounts for 15% of all breast cancer cases. Black women are twice as likely as white women to be diagnosed with TNBC and 28% more likely to die from it.
Researchers at The Wistar Institute’s HIV Cure and Viral Diseases Center have successfully identified a new approach using natural killer (NK) cells to target and kill the HIV-positive cells that allow the virus to persist. Wistar scientists have label…
The immune systems of cancer patients are highly disrupted, with those who have a higher number of immune cells in their blood having a better survival rate, finds a new study that uses a pioneering technique developed by researchers at UCL and the Fra…
In a new study published in Cell Reports, Finnish researchers show that pituitary macrophages, the immune cells located in the pituitary gland, help regulate hormonal balance. It is possible that in the future, macrophage cells could be used to treat e…
Brain inflammation, while a crucial part of the body’s immune response, takes on a detrimental role in Alzheimer’s disease. Unlike the acute, short-lived inflammation that combats infection, the inflammation associated with Alzheimer’s becomes chronic …
A new Moffitt Cancer Center study has identified a specific immune response that may prevent the spread of breast cancer cells within the body. Published in Cancer Immunology Research, the study shows that activating certain immune cells can stop dorma…
A patient has achieved over 18 years of remission from neuroblastoma, a type of nerve cell cancer, following treatment with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy and without requiring any additional treatments. The findings are published in Na…
Patients with localized muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) who received radiation plus the immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) durvalumab (Imfinzi) and tremelimumab (Imjudo) had durable responses that allowed for bladder preservation, according to r…
An investigational therapy significantly shrank lung cancer tumors that are notoriously resistant to treatment by encouraging an attack from natural killer (NK) cells in an animal model, a study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers shows. …
Antidepressants like Prozac are commonly prescribed to treat mental health disorders, but new research suggests they could also protect against serious infections and life-threatening sepsis.
Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is a progressive spinal disease characterized by ectopic bone formation in the spine, leading to severe neurological symptoms due to spinal cord compression. This condition is more prevalent in…
A team of researchers has developed a “gut-on-chip” (a miniature model of the human intestine on a chip-sized device) capable of reproducing the main features of intestinal inflammation and of predicting the response of melanoma patients to immunothera…
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), a major type of cancer immunotherapy, don’t do much for hospitalized cancer patients, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai report.
When a tumour develops, it creates a structure around itself called the tumour stroma, within which blood and lymphatic vessels ensure nutritional and respiratory biological exchanges. Lymphangiogenesis, i.e. the development of lymphatic vessels, is ge…
A fungal infection has been shown to trigger a fruit fly’s own immune system to destroy brain cells leading to signs of neurodegeneration, a new study has found.
University of Queensland researchers have discovered immunotherapy, when used to treat people with advanced cancers, also helps reduce sunspots and skin cancers by at least 65%.
When a tumor develops, it creates a structure around itself called the tumor stroma, within which blood and lymphatic vessels ensure nutritional and respiratory biological exchanges. Lymphangiogenesis, i.e., the development of lymphatic vessels, is gen…
A team of researchers from the Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) has published a study in the Journal of Neuroinflammation that, for the first time, examines in depth the role of the peripheral immune system in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (AL…
High levels of fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) have been linked to increased tumor growth and resistance to immunotherapy. In a study recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from the Universi…
A study published in Science Advances reveals a novel strategy that allows tumors to evade the body’s immune response critical for their elimination. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions have discovered in a mouse mo…
Researchers, led by the University of Melbourne’s Professor Laura Mackay, a Laboratory Head and Immunology Theme Leader at the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute), in collaboration with Pfizer, have discovered new insi…
Developing effective treatments and understanding how the mechanism of the immune system have always been challenging for scientists. T cells, which are the frontline warriors in the battle against infections, have been a major focus of research.
An increase in high-fat, high-fructose foods in people’s diets has contributed to a dramatic increase in type 2 diabetes. This, in turn, has led to an increase in peripheral neuropathy—nerve damage, typically in the hands and feet—that causes weakness,…
University of Queensland research using natural killer cells may lead to the first new treatment for a devastating childhood cancer in 40 years. Associate Professor Fernando Guimaraes, a Principal Research Fellow from UQ’s Frazer Institute led a team t…
Northwestern Medicine investigators have developed a new avenue to reprogram compromised immune cells to act against tumors, according to a study published in Science Advances.
Immunotherapy, which uses programmed immune cells to selectively destroy cancer cells, has transformed cancer treatment. However, cancer cells have developed immune evasion strategies, leading to poor treatment responses. Now, researchers have identifi…
Newborns with heart complications can rely on their newly developed immune systems to regenerate cardiac tissues, but adults aren’t so lucky. After a heart attack, most adults struggle to regenerate healthy heart tissue, leading to scar-tissue buildup …
Newborns with heart complications can rely on their newly developed immune systems to regenerate cardiac tissues, but adults aren’t so lucky. After a heart attack, most adults struggle to regenerate healthy heart tissue, leading to scar-tissue buildup …
When blood cancer cells break through the bone and multiply, tumor cells become dangerously diverse and the immune response in the region changes, report researchers from Berlin and Heidelberg in Science Immunology. The detailed insights into cancer pr…
When blood cancer cells break through the bone and multiply, tumor cells become dangerously diverse and the immune response in the region changes, researchers report. The detailed insights into cancer progression could advance diagnostics and treatment.
Scientists at the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) have uncovered key insights into how T cells—the body’s frontline immune soldiers—respond to infections like COVID-19. Their research suggests that the disease fighting functions of T cells are stro…
Eating gradually increasing doses of store-bought, home-measured peanut butter for about 18 months enabled 100% of children with peanut allergy who initially could tolerate the equivalent of at least half a peanut to consume three tablespoons of peanut…
In a breakthrough for influenza research, scientists have discovered immune cells that can recognize influenza (flu) viruses even as they mutate, raising hopes for a longer-lasting vaccine and a universal protection against future flu pandemics.
About 5% of people who catch COVID have long-lasting symptoms. In these people, loss of smell, dizziness, fatigue and other hallmark COVID symptoms can persist for months after the initial illness. Yet even five years after the COVID pandemic began, we…
Researchers have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that regulates the immune response against parasites. During a parasitic infection, specific immune cells, known as virtual memory T cells (TVM), become activated and express a surface molecule …
Researchers at the University of Liège (Belgium) have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that regulates the immune response against parasites. During a parasitic infection, specific immune cells, known as virtual memory T cells, become activated …
A type of aggressive, treatment-resistant brain tumor has a distinct population of immune cells that support its growth, according to new research led by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immu…
A research team has made a major discovery on how the CUL5 gene affects CAR-T cell therapy, an advanced cancer therapy. The study reveals that reducing the activity of the CUL5 gene helps CAR-T cells fight cancer more effectively. These findings could …
Pancreatic cancer patients may benefit from future precision treatments as a new study shows how some tumors may potentially be more susceptible to macrophage-based therapies, and clues behind why these tumors don’t respond to existing immunotherapies.
Researchers have identified a method to enhance the effectiveness of a promising cancer treatment. They found that modifying a specific gene improves the ability of immune cells to combat cancer for an extended period, potentially reducing the chance o…
Neutrophil granulocytes, a type of immune cell, are indispensable for the defense against pathogens. However, if they migrate into injured tissue, for example into the brain after a stroke, they can promote chronic inflammation and cause long-term damage.
Brain metastases are one of the most severe complications of melanoma, the most aggressive type of skin cancer. Researchers at the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Miguel Hernández…
Modifying the physical characteristics of microscopic biomaterials to interact seamlessly with the body’s tissues could unlock safer and more effective cancer treatments, according to Virginia Tech researchers at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institut…
Pancreatic cancer patients may benefit from future precision treatments as a new study shows how some tumors may potentially be more susceptible to macrophage-based therapies.
A large team of surgeons and organ transplant researchers affiliated with multiple institutions across the U.S. has found an association between lung transplant patients who become infected with the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa and rejection of the …
The brain of humans and other animals is known to contribute to the protection of the body from infections. Past studies have unveiled the existence of the so-called conditioned immune response (CIR), which is a form of Pavlovian conditioning that enta…
A group of scientists in China has revealed a novel mechanism whereby a short form of IL-18, generated by caspase-3 cleavage in tumor cells, activates natural killer (NK) cells to suppress tumor growth, offering new therapeutic opportunities. The resea…
Despite new medication, cystic fibrosis often leads to permanent lung damage. Researchers have discovered that the disease causes changes in the immune system early in life, presumably even in newborns. These changes lead to frequent inflammation and a…
Bacteria in the gut have been implicated in autoimmune diseases, like lupus, that don’t primarily affect the gastrointestinal system. But how those bacteria affect the human immune system remains unclear.
Despite new medication, cystic fibrosis often leads to permanent lung damage. Working with an international team, researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have discovered that the disease causes changes in the immune system early in li…
Our immune system is armed with an array of defenses designed to detect and eliminate harmful threats. One of its most powerful defense mechanisms is the complement system—a group of proteins that patrols our body, ever vigilant for signs of infection …
Researchers report that all nine patients in a clinical trial being treated for stage III or IV clear cell renal cell carcinoma (a form of kidney cancer), generated a successful anti-cancer immune response after initiation of a personalized cancer vacc…
Scientists of the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) have identified new interactions between pancreatic cancer cells and the immune system. The insights of the research group provide important approaches for innovative therapies. The findings a…
Researchers have identified the molecular and cellular mechanisms that transform healthy stem cells into oral cancer at the earliest stages of the disease.
Scientists from DZNE, University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn provide new evidence that preventing brain inflammation is a promising approach for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Their findings, based on studies in cell culture, …
The antiviral combination of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir (brand name Paxlovid) is an effective treatment for people with COVID-19 who have mild symptoms and face a high risk of hospitalization. For some of those people, however, the virus returns, and t…
The virus that causes eastern equine encephalitis, or EEE, has evolved to infect mosquitoes. To be able to spread between people, however, it faces extra challenges.
Researchers find that certain antioxidant enzymes, called selenoproteins, significantly contribute to fighting cell aging. The team used a gene knockout mouse model to help them study the effects of disrupting selenoprotein synthesis. This knockout neg…
Researchers have developed a computer model to help scientists identify tumor-fighting immune cells in patients with lung cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Within a large group of more than 700 patients treated with CAR T cell therapy, researchers found no evidence that the therapy itself caused any type of secondary cancer in the modified T cells, according to new analysis reported today in Nature Medici…
Engineered immune cells called CAR-T cells are used in the treatment of cancer. Researchers from Uppsala University have now discovered that CAR molecules can be transferred from the CAR-T cells to other T cells in the tumor microenvironment.
Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a targeted therapy that could bring relief to people living with lichen planus, a chronic inflammatory skin condition of the skin, hair, nails, mouth and genitals. They described their findings in a study publish…
Imagine a bustling metropolis within your mouth—a dynamic community of microorganisms forming biofilms on your teeth and gums. This oral microbiome is not only essential for maintaining oral health, but also plays a pivotal role in shaping your immune …
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy have developed a computer model to help scientists identify tumor-fighting immune cells in patients with lung cancer treated with immune check…
Prolonged illnesses like cancer and chronic infections often leave the immune system in a state of exhaustion, where its frontline defenders—T cells—lose their ability to function effectively. Research, led by the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection …
Prolonged illnesses like cancer and chronic infections often leave the immune system in a state of exhaustion, where its frontline defenders — T cells — lose their ability to function effectively. Researchers have identified a rare type of immune cel…
A new study from Moffitt Cancer Center could help doctors predict how well patients with a specific type of lung cancer will respond to new therapies. The research, published in Clinical Cancer Research, found that measuring the interaction between two…
A team of international researchers led by scientists at City of Hope have demonstrated a way to boost thymic function after damage in preclinical studies. The team’s study results, published today in the journal Immunity, outline their discovery of a …
A recent study carried out by a research team from the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut investigated the immunomodulating properties of β-glucans. These are natural sugar compounds found in bacteria, fungi and grains. The results indicate that β-glucans can targe…
In a new study, researchers have determined that a protein called NF-kB c-Rel can intensify the symptoms of psoriasis when activated by signals from the body’s immune system. Understanding how ‘c-Rel’ affects skin inflammation could lead to new treatme…
Psoriasis, a painful and uncomfortable inflammatory skin condition that affects millions worldwide, flares up from the activity of disease- and infection-protecting immune cells.
CAR T cell therapy is one of the most promising new cancer treatments to emerge in recent years. It involves removing a patient’s own immune T cells and engineering them to recognize specific targets on the surface of the cancer cell.
A prophylactic antibody-based immune therapy protects monkeys against severe disease caused by H5N1 avian flu, University of Pittsburgh and NIH Vaccine Research Center researchers report in Science.
A study led by Hiroshi Ohno at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) recently showed that certain gut bacteria found in one-month-old infants are associated with food sensitivities and the development of food allergies, particularly t…
A far shorter, simpler, and less toxic treatment protocol for patients with triple-negative breast cancer produced outcomes similar to the current standard of care, a clinical trial co-led by a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher shows. The findi…
Viruses are masters at disguise. When they are pushed too far by our immune system, they send new virus variants into play that are no longer recognized by immune cells. They escape our immune system by mutating the virus structures that are recognized…
T-cells from the liver and lymph nodes show promising potential for future treatments of liver cancer, according to a new study. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have investigated how immune cells react to tumor-specific antigens in the complex env…
It started as a respiratory illness—or so everyone thought. But it quickly became apparent that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was so much more.
Sepsis is an underestimated killer. Nearly a quarter of patients treated for sepsis in hospital will die, but because so many different illnesses can predispose patients to experiencing it, it’s overlooked as a direct cause of death. Yet approximately …
Patients whose metastatic colorectal cancer has progressed following chemotherapy and who lack mutations in the RAS and BRAF genes (RAS/BRAF wild-type) are typically treated with EGFR inhibitors. For those whose tumors also demonstrate HER2 amplificati…
Food allergy, or the aggressive immune system reaction following the consumption of a certain food or food ingredient, typically involves immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies and can be potentially life-threatening. Often, the immune response to a food pr…
Study reveals how immune cells in the gut distinguish between food and harmful pathogens, shedding light on the origins of both food allergies and intestinal diseases.
A collaboration between the Ragon Institute and the Jameel Clinic at MIT has achieved a significant milestone in leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to aid the development of T cell vaccine candidates.
With every bite of food we take, our intestinal immune system must make a big decision. Tasked with defending us from foreign pathogens, these exquisitely sensitive cells somehow distinguish friend from foe—destroying invaders while tolerating food and…
Immune cells called regulatory T cells have long been known for their role in countering inflammation. In the setting of infection, these so-called Tregs restrain the immune system to ensure it doesn’t go into overdrive and mistakenly attack the body’s…
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh have developed a new way to grow T cells in the lab that enables them to live longer and better destroy cancer cells in a mouse model of melanoma compared to those grown in traditional growth media.