About half of the people with multiple sclerosis have the HLA-DR15 gene variant. A study has now shown how this genetic predisposition contributes to the development of the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis in combination with environmental factors…
New approach to fighting cancer could reduce costs and side effects
Researchers have developed a novel approach based on microfluidic technology to ‘purify’ the immune cells of patients in the fight against cancer.
Genome archeologists discover path to activate immune response against cancer
Ancient embedded elements in our DNA from generations past can activate a powerful immune response to kill cancer cells like an infection.
New anti-AB vaccine could help halt Alzheimer’s progression, preclinical study finds
A preclinical study by neuroscientists indicates that an antigen-presenting dendritic vaccine with a specific antibody response to oligomeric A-beta may be safer and offer clinical benefit in treating Alzheimer’s disease. The vaccine uses immune cells …
Researchers use gold nanorod scattering to identify immune system’s ‘killer and savior’
Researchers have utilized the scattering of gold nanorods to identify M1 and M2 macrophages. Further development of this technique will lead to a new point of care or a biopsy tool which can predict the stages of manifestation of diseases like cancer, …
Immune activation in the liver illuminated with new glycan-tagging strategy
A signaling system implicated in liver fibrosis and immune activation is better understood thanks to this creative chemical fishing lure.
Natural killer cells also have a memory function
Good news for the human immune system: researchers have managed to ascribe an immunological memory function to a subset of cytotoxic NK cells, which have hitherto been regarded as antigen-non-specific.
Researchers make counterintuitive discoveries about immune-like characteristics of cells
Biologists reveal that tissue perturbations by chemotherapy agents promote stem cell expansion and that fibroblast cells exhibit unexpected, immune-like behavior.
In recovering COVID-19 patients, antibodies fade quickly
Researchers report that antibody levels in the blood of COVID-19 patients drop rapidly during the weeks after their bodies have cleared the virus and symptoms have subsided. If convalescent plasma is ultimately shown to have a clear benefit, the author…
Young adults face higher risk of severe disease from infections than school-age children
The first systematic review of how the severity of infectious diseases changes with age suggests that the human immune system might start to lose the ability to protect against infections earlier than previously thought, according to new research.