HIV may be suppressed by antiretroviral therapy, but its genetic material remains in the body. New research by scientists at the Leibniz Institute of Virology (LIV) in Hamburg suggests that some of these viral remnants may be doing more than simply lin…
New research led by the University of Colorado Anschutz is offering hope to people living with stiff person syndrome (SPS), showing that a CAR T-cell therapy may help change the course of the disease, with patients experiencing significant improvements…
Keeping vaccines and medicines at the right temperature is critical for their efficacy and safety. But this is an often overlooked part of getting them to the people who need them. In April 2025, the U.K. biotechnology company Stablepharma began the fi…
Progestogen, when used in hormone therapy, is recognized for its benefits in protecting the uterus. A new study suggests that its addition limits the increased risk of composite autoimmune disease associated with estrogen-only therapy. Results of the s…
An Australian clinician-led research team has developed a gene-editing platform that could give doctors more control over cell therapies, making them more practical for patients with complex immune conditions.
Researchers at City of Hope have uncovered an immune pathway that may contribute to radiation-related lung damage and have identified a potential strategy to block it. Published in Nature Communications, the insights from the preclinical study could le…
Researchers discovered that recurring arthritis triggered by cancer immunotherapy may be driven by immune cells that remember previous attacks and return in a more aggressive state. The findings could pave the way for treatments that prevent painful fl…
Neutrophils are white blood cells that form part of the body’s first line of defense. Researchers have now demonstrated for the first time that neutrophils are found in many tissues during embryonic development, and that they can perform the same funct…
A new genetic testing approach for sick children with immune conditions could slash diagnosis waiting times from 12 months to as little as two weeks, University of Queensland research has found.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz have discovered how herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), the virus that causes cold sores, can fundamentally change how the brain’s immune cells respond to infection, revealing a potentially important …
When immunity works well, the body steers clear of infection and disease. However, when the immune system goes awry, healthy cells can often end up in the firing line. This can occur in autoimmune diseases like anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANC…
Scientists have uncovered an unexpected culprit behind sleep loss in Alzheimer’s disease: overactive immune cells in the brain. By temporarily removing these cells, researchers restored more than two hours of sleep per day in mice, revealing a promisin…
A large-scale study, presented at UEG Week 2026, has identified distinct antibody patterns up to 10 years before the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), potentially opening new avenues for earlier risk detection and providing insights into f…
Scientists have discovered that a potential new drug can reverse severe fatty liver disease in animal models by restoring gut health and blocking harmful substances from reaching the liver. The breakthrough could pave the way for new treatments for liv…
Tumors possess myriad mechanisms to ensure their survival even at the peril of the host. Now scientists are delving deeper into how cancer cells alter the metabolism of specific amino acids to support the malignancy’s growth while simultaneously evadin…
New UVA Health Children’s asthma research could improve care for children—especially Black children—with severe symptoms that require targeted treatment.
USC scientists have discovered a way to create a potentially renewable supply of genetically engineered immune cells that can attack cancer and strengthen the body’s natural defenses. By growing and modifying immature immune cells rather than mature on…
Researchers have uncovered a previously overlooked immune cell that can recognize and kill small cell lung cancer, the most aggressive form of the disease globally. Published in Cancer Cell, the WEHI study found patients with higher levels of these cel…
Heart failure (HF) is a condition in which the heart is not able to pump blood effectively. However, its effects go beyond pumping and circulation. HF is also known to cause a lasting form of innate immune memory in stem cells that synthesize blood and…
A team led by Harvard Medical School researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has developed a faster way to identify and engineer cancer-fighting therapies.
Researchers at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center used a CRISPR screen to identify a key molecular pathway that drives exhaustion in cancer-fighting immune cells, limiting their ability to keep tumors under control.
Exposure to nicotine during pregnancy and shortly after birth can have a lasting impact on a child’s immune system and cause more severe respiratory infections later in life, a new study from researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, shows.
Colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer-related death for people under 50. Its most common forms generally aren’t treatable, either through conventional means like chemotherapy or newer immunotherapy drugs.
A genetic switch that activates immune cells as they fight tumors: this is the new strategy developed by an international research team coordinated by Velia Siciliano at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT—Italian Institute of Technology) in Naple…
Food allergy is an important health concern in childhood, and knowing whether an allergy is likely to persist or disappear can affect medical decisions. Sensitization, however, is not the same as an allergy: specific IgE antibodies may be detectable wi…
In the past, immune cells were all simply known as white blood cells. Nowadays, we know that there are T cells, B lymphocytes, macrophages, autoreactive T helper cells, microglia, Tregs and others. Together, they form a team that patrols the body like …
A typical pregnancy lasts 40 weeks, but for about 1 in 10 pregnant women labor begins too soon. Premature or preterm birth is the leading cause of newborn deaths worldwide. Yet doctors have struggled to understand why preterm birth occurs—or how to pre…
A team of scientists in Norway has found evidence for a new mechanism for the development of cancer in children: They seem to produce an unusual amount of aberrant antibodies against the building blocks that make up the DNA repair machinery, a diverse …
Results from a Phase I clinical trial led by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center—Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC—James) show a possible way to improve therapy options for patients with …
Two new studies led by researchers at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center provide new insight into how the immune system can successfully be activated against glioblastoma while revealing why these therapies have historically fallen short.
A Cleveland Clinic research team studying alcohol and the brain discovered a new way that alcohol abuse can cause brain dysfunction and damage: through immune cells called microglia. The research also identified a potential new treatment target.
VIB researchers have developed a new human stem-cell-based model that recreates an early stage of immune-cell development and shows how a single progenitor population can give rise to specialized macrophages across different organs. The model provides …
Some people are born with a defect in their genetic material that prevents their immune system from functioning properly. In people with a condition known as GATA2 deficiency, the body does not produce enough immune cells, leaving them at increased ris…
Acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) is a condition characterized by inflammation that damages the kidney’s tubules and surrounding tissue. Often resulting from an immune reaction to common medications—including antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications…
A preclinical study by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center has discovered how a protein called ZBTB44 helps prevent excessive immune activity that can cause inflammation in the colon, the main section of the large intestine. The findings, pub…
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) frequently develops in the oral and upper aerodigestive regions following chronic exposure to mutagenic factors such as tobacco, alcohol and betel nut. Alterations in the tumor suppressor genes TP53 and CDK…
Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and collaborating institutions in Texas developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model that helps explain how immune cells find their way to specific locations in the body and why they a…
Females with autoimmune diseases are significantly more likely than males to have their autoimmune disease misdiagnosed as a psychiatric or psychosomatic condition, according to a study of more than 6,600 patients.
Babies are born with some immunity, but they do not have as many tools as adults to fight diseases. Exposure to pathogens helps build their immune repertoire, but it also leaves them vulnerable to infection because many immune defenses are still develo…
Urbanization and biodiversity loss have reduced human contact with the diverse microbiomes found in natural environments. Exposure to environmental microbes supports the normal development and regulation of the immune system. This reduction in exposure…
When you think of people being exposed to occupational hazards, hairdressers don’t come to mind. That may be why regulators often overlook the risks faced by people in this profession. Scientists have uncovered one such risk, with hairdressers regularl…
Scientists discovered that declining levels of a protein called Menin may help drive aging, and restoring it in older mice reversed several age-related changes in just 30 days. Even more surprisingly, supplementing with a simple amino acid called D-ser…
Chronic diabetic wounds may fail to heal because immune cells remain locked in damaging inflammatory states instead of transitioning toward tissue repair. Researchers are exploring treatments that reprogram these immune responses, raising hopes for mor…
Two people infected with the same strain of COVID-19 can have vastly different experiences. One might never even sniffle, and the other might end up on a ventilator. But why?
Researchers at Hokkaido University, in collaboration with an international team of scientists led by the University of South Florida Health and Tampa General Hospital, have uncovered an important mechanism behind immune evasion in metastatic colorectal…
Vaccination is one of the most important tools for preventing infectious diseases and protecting public health. However, immune responses after vaccination vary dramatically from person to person: If you give many people the exact same vaccine, some wi…
Vaccination not only prevents disease caused by acute infection but also protects against long-term immune-related sequelae that can follow an acute viral infection. This is the main conclusion of a study led by the Infection Biology Laboratory at Pomp…
The COVID-19 pandemic showed the challenges of protecting populations when a new respiratory virus emerges. Although vaccines were developed at unprecedented speed, there was still a period when vaccines were not yet available, and people remained vuln…
While birthday candles measure the number of years someone has lived, they don’t always tell the full story about someone’s health. Two people born on the same day can have immune systems that age differently, leaving some older adults with resilient d…
Researchers have uncovered a new way bacteria detect viral attacks: a virus-produced enzyme cuts a bacterial sensor protein, triggering a self-destructing immune response. The discovery could lead to more effective phage therapies against antibiotic-re…
A new study published in Nature Aging combines mouse experiments and human data sets to explore how biological sex and aging shape cancer immunity, with implications for immunotherapy responses. Lutz Menzel, Ph.D., formerly of the Department of Radiati…
A ‘rising fog’ may cloud the immune system’s ability to detect tumors and may be the key to tackling lung cancer that is developing years before diagnosis. The team at University College London (UCL) followed this signal using prototype blood tests and…
In a study published in Science Immunology, researchers used malignant ascites—fluid that accumulates in the abdomen of some patients when cancer metastasizes to the abdominal cavity—to uncover immune programs associated with metastatic disease, includ…
Our bodies contain immune cells called macrophages. Normally, these cells attack and suppress bacteria and cancer cells. However, when macrophages infiltrate tumors, they can become tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and can switch to an immunosuppres…
Gold has a reputation for being chemically untouchable. But according to Western University chemist Yolanda Hedberg, that reputation is a little misleading—gold is not unreactive so much as selective about what it reacts with.
Oxidized lipids—fats structurally altered by enzymes, oxygen or free radicals—are double-edged swords that can both quell and ignite systemic inflammation, according to a new comprehensive review aimed at sharpening the overall understanding of an intr…
A common bacterium found in the mouth and airways may help the lungs better defend themselves against pneumonia, according to new research from the University of Colorado Anschutz.
Sometimes you can solve a mystery with a fish but not a mouse. Sometimes you can see a biochemical process happening, but you can’t study it in detail until you identify the underlying players. Sometimes separate streams of inquiry turn out to be part …
For millions of years, parasitic worms have had to survive inside animals without being destroyed by their hosts’ immune systems. To do that, they have evolved remarkably effective ways of dampening the immune response.
For millions of years, parasitic worms have had to survive inside animals without being destroyed by their hosts’ immune systems. To do that, they have evolved remarkably effective ways of dampening the immune response.
Researchers at the University of Oxford have uncovered a previously unrecognized protective role for microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells, in Parkinson’s disease. The study shows that a distinct population of human microglia can selectively rem…
A new organoid model built with human lung fragments may help us answer key questions about one of the body’s first lines of defense against respiratory pathogens. In a new study, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine elicited virus…
Blocking a receptor called P2X7 significantly reduced inflammation in human brain tissue, revealing a potential new treatment strategy for neurological and psychiatric disorders. The discovery could help researchers repurpose existing drugs for conditi…
An Idaho State University biologist and her students are exploring new ways to fight autoimmune diseases afflicting millions. “Normally, our immune system makes antibodies that target pathogens for destruction,” said Kinta Serve, an associate professor…
A research team led by associate professors Yohei Funakoshi and Kimikazu Yakushijin and Professor Hironobu Minami of the Division of Medical Oncology/Hematology at Kobe University Hospital, together with Associate Professor Goh Ohji of the Division of …
CAR-T cell therapies have fundamentally transformed the treatment of several blood and lymph node cancers. However, their use in solid tumors such as liver, breast or lung cancer has so far been significantly more difficult. This is due, among other th…
In addition to their established role in fighting pathogens, certain maternal immune cells (neutrophils) can support early placental development by helping placental cells migrate into the uterine lining.
Cancer immunotherapy can lose its punch when tumor-fighting T cells become exhausted, but researchers may have found a way to keep them going longer. Scientists at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center identified a signaling molecule called MEK that c…
Both the clinical effects and the unpleasant side effects of chemotherapies, from hair loss to mouth sores to gastrointestinal discomfort, stem from their indiscriminate destruction of cells prone to rapid proliferation. That includes CD8+ T cells, the…
Researchers at LMU have discovered how a metabolite produced by gut bacteria can influence brain damage after stroke. Their paper is published in the journal Cell.
For most people, a peanut butter sandwich poses no threat. But for the roughly 1.6 million children in the United States with peanut allergy, exposure can trigger a life-threatening reaction. Why some individuals are susceptible while others are not ha…
Scientists at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), led by Université de Montréal medical professor Javier Di Noia, have shed light on a fundamental mystery in immunology: How do immune cells manage to concentrate a powerful mutagenic enzyme…
It’s one of the biggest mysteries of age-related research: Despite living longer, women are more likely than men to develop age- and immune-related conditions, yet the biological reasons behind these differences remain poorly understood.
Children with a variant in the SERPINE1 gene—which is found in 60% of the population—may be less responsive to mepolizumab, a drug used to treat asthma flares, according to a study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Researchers at the University of Osaka have developed a simple culture method that converts B cells isolated from human blood into cells resembling germinal center B cells, which refine antibodies after infection or vaccination.
Scientists have identified thousands of genetic differences that change a person’s risk of disease, but working out how they actually affect biology—an important step toward creating new treatments—has been much more challenging. One reason is that man…
Immune cells can reach head and neck tumors, but once there, many stop functioning. This helps explain why immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors—which have transformed treatment for some cancers—benefits only 17%–23% of patients with head and…
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute, King’s College London and Complutense University of Madrid have shown that γδ T cells use adaptive immune receptors to drive rapid, innate-like responses to tissue stress, inflammation and cancer.
Omega fatty acids have long been recognized for their benefits: supporting cardiovascular health, reducing systemic inflammation, and promoting brain development and cognitive function. But scientists now warn of a long-unrecognized downside to these c…
Microplastics appear capable of significantly impairing the function of phagocytes in the liver, at least in mice. In turn, this disrupts the metabolism of this vital organ and increases the build-up of fat inside it. These key findings from a joint Ge…
When two people become ill at the same time, they often experience different symptoms. For instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic, some people had symptoms akin to a mild flu, while others were critically ill. Similarly, people with chronic diseases ca…
In a study published in Cancer Discovery, cancer neoantigens and neoantigen-specific T cells were identified from patient blood samples by analyzing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and immune cells.
Lower dietary diversity during the first year of life is associated with an increased risk of atopic dermatitis (AD) later in life, according to a study published online Sept. 20 in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.
Immunotherapies, especially CAR T-cell therapy, have fundamentally changed cancer treatment in recent years, particularly for certain forms of leukemia and lymphoma. Yet not all tumors respond equally well, and the reasons for this remain incompletely …
An international research team has discovered a previously unknown mechanism that plays a key role in the signaling pathways involved in programmed cell death. The team identified the protein HERC4 as an essential component of both TNF-induced necropto…
There is no treatment available today to stop the death of brain cells in neurodegenerative diseases known as tauopathies, including Alzheimer’s disease, in which twisted clumps of a protein called tau accumulate in the brain.
Strengthening the body’s natural daily rhythms helped mice recover after stroke by improving the brain’s waste-clearing system and reducing lingering inflammation. The approach worked even when treatment began three days after the stroke, suggesting ci…
Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have traced how off-the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells behave in patients, revealing how immune rejection and differences among CAR T cells influence their ability to multi…
Researchers used CRISPR to remove CD33 from donor stem cells, potentially giving doctors a way to attack aggressive blood cancers without destroying the healthy cells patients need after a transplant. In a 30-patient trial, the edited cells successfull…
A single infusion of genetically corrected autologous hematopoietic stem cells can provide lasting clinical benefits for patients with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that impairs immune and platelet function, exposing affected childr…
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neurodegenerative disorder that leads to muscle loss and can severely impair the mobility of those affected. It is usually caused by a defect in the SMN1 gene, which is expressed in all cells of the body. Whether this…
Immunotherapy, which uses a patient’s immune system to treat disease, has increased survival for some adults and children with cancer. However, it has had limited success against many pediatric solid tumors, in part because T cells can become functiona…
Pancreatic cancer does not respond to most immunotherapies, but RAS inhibitors could alter tumors to make them more sensitive to a novel immunotherapeutic approach. In pancreatic tumors with RAS mutations, RAS inhibitors cause massive cell death and re…
A group of innate immune cells, known as group 2 lymphoid cells (ILC2), are essential for maintaining a stable metabolism in adipose tissue. Obesity significantly impairs the number and function of ILC2 cells, leading to the progression of metabolism-r…
A joint team of researchers at Bar-Ilan University and the Weizmann Institute has used advanced computational design methods to enhance the ability of genetically engineered immune cells to recognize and attack cancer and viral targets.
Our understanding of how cells interact with each other has been driven for decades by the central concept of receptor-mediated signal transduction. Now, researchers from Boston Children’s Hospital are reporting the discovery of a new, receptor-free me…
Type 1 diabetes isn’t an overnight attack against the body’s ability to make insulin. It can be a sustained campaign over years that relentlessly targets insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Scientists have not fully understood why this autoimmune …
A new preclinical study led by investigators from Mass General Brigham offers a potential explanation for two longstanding questions in allergy: Why do allergies often emerge only after repeated exposure, and why do people with one allergy frequently d…
Researchers from City of Hope have developed a new “plug-and-play” technology that adds engineered molecules to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells after treatment, allowing scientists to better control the cells and redirect them to attack differe…
A UCLA research team has engineered a new type of immune cell that attacks atherosclerotic plaques—the fatty buildup inside artery walls that drives most heart attacks and strokes. These engineered cells work by recognizing three harmful cell types wit…
