Tag: immune

Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered how a brief disruption to a molecular pathway in the guts of mice before they are born can compromise adult immunity to a common and often deadly intestinal virus. The researchers found that in utero inhibition of molecular signalling in the ‘lymphotoxin pathway,’ long known as important

Researchers have cleared a major obstacle in the development of an HIV vaccine, proving in animal models that effective, yet short-lasting antibodies can be coaxed into multiplying as a fighting force against the virus. The finding, led by a team of researchers at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI) and Boston Children’s Hospital, publishes online

A collaboration between the Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery (GRIDD) and multiple clinical research institutes has led to an exciting discovery in cancer research. The multi-disciplinary team, led by GRIDD’s Dr. Alexandre Cristino and Professor Maher Gandhi from Mater Research and including researchers from the Translational Research Institute, discovered a new mechanism in which the

Advanced bowel cancer cells have very few “molecular flags” on their surface, helping to explain why they may be hard for the immune system to detect, a new study has shown. Molecules on the surface of tumor cells, arising from faults in their DNA, help the immune system pick them out as cancerous—enabling immune cells

Directly after birth, the immune system completes production of a subtype of antibody-producing immune cells, B-1, that are to last for a lifetime. No more B1 cells are formed after that point. However, these cells are self-reactive—they produce not only antibodies against foreign substances, but also against the body’s own substances, and it is unclear

Dear Mayo Clinic: I am 72 and take a drug for rheumatoid arthritis that suppresses my immune system. I’m scheduled to receive a vaccine later this year. Is it safe for me to receive this vaccine? A: Appropriate and timely vaccines are important for anyone with a suppressed immune system. That’s because a suppressed immune

When a 9-year-old girl with anemia, breathing problems, and recurrent infections sought help for her mysterious ailments, Yale researchers and their collaborators at the National Institutes of Health sequenced her genes to pinpoint a cause. What they discovered was not only a new disease but unexpected new roles for a gene that affects the immune

When immune cells detect harmful pathogens or cancer, they mobilise and coordinate a competent defence response. To do this effectively immune cells must communicate in a way that is tailored to the pathogenic insult. Consequently, the body’s response to various health challenges depends on successful coordination among the cells of the immune system. Key players

New research led by scientists at The Rockefeller University in New York may help explain why Zika virus infection causes birth defects in some children but not others. The study, which will be published August 14 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, suggests that the risk of developing an abnormally small head (microcephaly) depends on

Getting up close—and a little dirty—with farm animals just might help us fend off illness, say researchers who’ve further demonstrated the benefits of early exposure to a wide variety of environmental bacteria. Scientists from The Ohio State University found that bacteria and other microbes from rural Amish babies was far more diverse—in a beneficial way—than

Leukemia stem cells protect themselves against the immune defense by suppressing a target molecule for killer cells. This protective mechanism can be tricked with drugs. In the journal Nature, scientists from Basel, Tübingen and Heidelberg describe the new therapeutic approaches that can possibly be derived from these results. Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) often

A unique discovery about the nature of neutrophils—the most numerous white blood cells in the body—may lead to new models for diagnosing and tracking inflammatory diseases such as cancer and osteoarthritis. The “first responders” of the body, neutrophils are a class of leukocyte immune cell in the “innate” immune system, which deals with acute infections.

Scientists have discovered that 2 years after infection, West African Ebola survivors exhibit memory immune responses—including specific T cells against Ebola virus. They believe their discovery opens up the possibility of improving Ebola vaccines by boosting key immune cells needed for long-lasting protective immunity. The new research is being presented at this year’s European Congress

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a hepatotropic virus, with about 80 million chronic infections confirmed worldwide. HCV infection leads to the development of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and in some instances, hepatocellular carcinoma. The recent development of highly potent direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs), targeting viral proteins, facilitates virus elimination in >90 percent of treated individuals. However,

Precision cancer drugs called PARP inhibitors have a previously unknown ability to boost the immune system, and could help many more patients benefit from immunotherapy, a new study reveals. Scientists found that PARP inhibitors sparked a powerful immune response when used against cancer cells with weaknesses in repairing their DNA. The study changes our understanding

Understanding and mitigating the role of epigenetics (environmental influences that trigger changes in gene expression) in disease development is a major goal of researchers. Now, a newly published paper featured on the March cover of the journal Brain adds significantly to this work by detailing how metabolites can be used to inhibit epigenetic mechanisms and

Immune cells in the bowel of people who suffer with coeliac disease are permanently replaced by a new subset of cells that promote inflammation, suggests a new study involving researchers at Cardiff University. This permanent ‘immunological scarring’ lays the foundation for the disease to progress and could have long-term implications for gut health in affected

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists have discovered a subset of helper T cells that may help to redefine understanding and treatment of chronic, debilitating inflammatory disorders. The research appears today as an advance online publication in the journal Nature. The study focused on a family of helper T cells called Th17 cells. Th17 cells

A team of researchers with members from Oxford University in the U.K., the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. and Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands has developed a new approach to battling malaria—boosting an immune response in the liver. In their paper published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the group describes

Insights into how harmful white blood cells form during tuberculosis infection point to novel targets for pharmacological interventions, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Valentina Guerrini and Maria Laura Gennaro of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, and colleagues. Foam cells are a type of white blood cell, known as