Tag: immune

A new study that details mosquito immune cells could shed light on the insect immune system and how mosquitoes transmit parasites that cause malaria. A new study, published recently in the peer-reviewed scientific journal eLife, identifies several new forms of mosquito immune cells, providing new clarity into the mosquito immune system. Immune cells play a

A newly discovered fat “shield” that prevents natural killer cells from being destroyed by their own deadly biological weapons also allows some cancer cells to evade an immune system attack, a study at Columbia University has found. The findings, which may lead to new treatments for aggressive cancers, were reported August 3 in the journal

When we are exposed to a pathogen, the immune system’s B cells swarm to our lymph nodes, spleens, and tonsils. There, those cells mutate in germinal centers—microscopic boot camps that rush the B cells through volleys of mutations to produce the most potent antibodies for neutralizing the infectious agent. As long as a germinal center

Non-circulating memory T cells, whose main function is to provide local protection against re-infection, contribute to chronic transplant rejection, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers reveal in a paper published today in Science Immunology. The scientists show that these “tissue-resident memory T cells” are harmful in situations where antigens that the cells recognize are

The vast majority of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 clear the virus, but those with compromised immunity—such as individuals receiving immune-suppressive drugs for autoimmune diseases—can become chronically infected. As a result, their weakened immune defenses continue to attack the virus without being able to eradicate it fully. This physiological tug-of-war between human host and pathogen offers

Researchers led by Professor Carolyn King of the University of Basel have developed a method to study the specialization of T cells in the context of infections. In the journal eLife, they report the different directions this specialization takes, depending on whether it happens in the context of an acute viral infection such as influenza

Vitamins and supplements are highly useful tools for a lot of folks looking for some immune system support through cold and flu season and beyond. But they are just that—tools. They are not a foolproof solution to stay healthy. The best way to achieve that goal, and support a strong immune system, is by packing

Children are protected from severe COVID-19 because their innate immune system is quick to attack the virus, a new study has found. The research led by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and published in Nature Communications, found that specialized cells in a child’s immune system rapidly target the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). MCRI’s Dr. Melanie

Stiffness in our tissues causes tension in our cells. Research from the Buck Institute, the University Health Network (University of Toronto), Stanford University, and the University of Alberta shows that stiffness impacts the innate immune system by upping its metabolism. The findings suggest the cellular tension likely sets off an inflammatory loop that contributes to

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health are breaking new ground to make cancer cells more susceptible to attack by the body’s own immune system. Working in mice, a team led by Jamey Weichert, professor of radiology, and Zachary Morris, professor of human oncology, is combining two different techniques in

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered that a protein called NF-kappa B-inducing kinase (NIK) is essential for the shift in metabolic activity that occurs with T cell activation, making it a critical factor in regulating the anti-tumor immune response. The preclinical research, published today in Nature Immunology, suggests that

A subcutaneous injection of the immune-boosting drug teclistamab was found to be safe and elicit responses in a majority of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, according to findings from a multi-institutional phase I study being presented by Alfred L. Garfall, MD, an assistant professor of Medicine in the division of Hematology-Oncology in the

Fox News Flash top headlines for November 19 Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what’s clicking on Foxnews.com. Oxford University and AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine candidate was safe, boosted an immune response, and was better tolerated among older adults, according to phase 2 clinical trial data. Researchers recruited 560 participants, 240 of which were

Cancers sometimes escape our immune defenses because of the over-activity of molecular signaling systems, called checkpoint processes. Now we may be able to fight back using a new range of molecules, researchers in China report in the European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. “We have been working on the discovery of anti-cancer agents for more than

The gut is an unusually noisy place, where hundreds of species of bacteria live alongside whatever microbes happen to have hitched a ride in on your lunch. Scientists have long suspected that the gut’s immune system, in the face of so many stimuli, takes an uncharacteristically blunt approach to population control and protection from foreign

Tousled-like kinases (TLKs) are a potential therapeutic target for cancer treatment due to their central role in DNA repair and replication. The latest work by IRB Barcelona’s Genomic Instability and Cancer Laboratory, led by Travis H. Stracker, concludes that TLK inhibition activates the innate immune system, a very important factor in the response to cancer.

Activating the immune system is a promising form of cancer treatment. Researchers at the University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital as well as the University of Eastern Finland mapped out the immune landscape of hematological malignancies in a dataset covering more than 10,000 patients to identify drug targets and patient groups which could potentially

Otago researchers studying the COVID-19 virus (SARS-2) have discovered potential target points on its genome, which may contribute to future treatments for the virus. While their laboratory was locked down during the Level 4 period, Ph.D. student Ali Hosseini and Professor Alex McLellan from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology worked from their homes to

How cells recognize pathogens and alert the immune system swiftly is a fundamental process of high importance for the survival of any species, including humans. A key role is ascribed to so-called adapters—little molecular platforms inside cells where signals from pathogen detectors are integrated for safety and accuracy and conveyed to lasting signals leading to

When it comes to memory, immune cells are known as the “bad cops” of the brain. But new research shows they could also be turned into “good cops” to power memory and learning. Inflammation can send the brain’s immune cells into damaging hyperdrive, and this has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases that affect memory, like