How Zika virus knocks out our immune defenses
Zika virus and dengue virus are very close relatives. Both are mosquito-borne flaviviruses, and both specialize in infecting a host’s dendritic cells.
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Abundance of key immune cells may be influenced by estrogen and XX chromosomes
Women have a higher proportion of key immune cells between puberty and menopause, which may be linked to the sex hormone estrogen and explain why they are less susceptible to certain infectious diseases than men, according to a new study led by researc…
A crucial mechanism in immune response: NOTCH signaling pathway plays essential role in CD8⁺ T cell differentiation
Ten years of substantial work by Université de Montréal immunologist Nathalie Labrecque’s team at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM) and the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center have shed new light on the mechanisms governing an e…
High-salt diet linked to depression: Protein IL-17A plays key role in mice study
A new study published in The Journal of Immunology found that a high-salt diet (HSD) induces depression-like symptoms in mice by driving the production of a protein called IL-17A. This protein has previously been identified as a contributor to depressi…
Genetically modified natural killer cells show promise in cancer immunotherapy
Among other functions, the NK cells (natural killers, a type of lymphocyte forming part of the immune system) have the capacity to detect and eliminate cancer cells. But in some cases they cannot overcome the tumor’s defense mechanism and the cancer gr…
CAR T-cell therapy tricks cancer cells with decoy, increases treatment efficiency in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is a life-threatening and highly aggressive form of blood cancer. It is the most common childhood cancer, making up 35% of pediatric cancer cases, but it can affect people of any age. CAR T-cell therapy has s…
Peacekeeper cells protect the body from autoimmunity during infection, research shows
During infections, the immune system needs to distinguish foreign antigens that are expressed by invading bacteria and viruses from self-antigens that are expressed by cells of the body. If not, the immune system can mistakenly attack its own cells, ca…
Decoys for misguided antibodies restore antiviral immune defense, study shows
An immune system defect makes affected individuals vulnerable to severe viral diseases such as influenza or COVID-19. It is caused by the body’s own antibodies, which inhibit important defense proteins known as type I interferons. UZH researchers have …
Second TB vaccination boosts immunity in bladder cancer patients and reduces cancer recurrence, pilot study suggests
Two doses of a simple tuberculosis vaccination after surgery helps the immune system fight cancer cells and could greatly improve patient outcomes for the most common type of bladder cancer, according to a pilot study of 40 patients.
Antibody-based therapy is several steps closer to treat lethal mucormycosis
Mucormycosis, a fungal infection caused by Mucorales, has high mortality rates in people with weakened immune systems and those suffering from severe trauma like burns, blast injuries or victims of natural disasters. The disease caused serious infectio…