SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is coated with sugars called glycans, which help it evade the immune system. New research shows precisely how those sugars help the virus become activated and infectious and could help with vaccine and drug d…
Scientists reveal details of antibodies that work against Zika virus
The Zika outbreak of 2015 and 2016 is having lasting impacts on children whose mothers became infected with the virus while they were pregnant.
Sulfur metabolism may have paved the way for evolution of multicellularity
When the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum runs out of food, sulfur limitation drives its development from a unicellular to a multicellular organism. Researchers now present the nutrient signaling pathways in this early eukaryote in great detail. The…
Mechanism by which exercise strengthens bones and immunity
Scientists have identified the specialized environment, known as a niche, in the bone marrow where new bone and immune cells are produced. The study also shows that movement-induced stimulation is required for the maintenance of this niche, as well as …
How to neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus
In the absence of effective treatments for COVID-19, many countries have approved the therapeutic use of blood plasma from recovering patients because it contains antibodies against the coronavirus. But not every type of antibody can neutralize the vir…
Discovery offers potential for stripping tumors of T cell protection
Researchers have discovered a mechanism that tumors use to switch on protective regulatory T cells, raising the potential for drug treatments that render tumors more vulnerable to cancer immunotherapy.
Human lung and brain organoids respond differently to SARS-CoV-2 infection in lab tests
Researchers are using stem cell-derived organoids to study how SARS-CoV-2 interacts with various organ systems. Their findings may help explain the wide variety in COVID-19 symptoms and aid the search for therapies.
Novel mechanism of resistance to T-cell bispecific antibodies and CAR-T targeting HER2 breast cancer
Researchers report how HER2 breast cancer cells adopt a strategy to resist clearance by redirected lymphocytes. Findings evidence that the disruption of interferon-gamma signaling confers resistance to these immunotherapies and promotes disease progres…
Turbocharging the killing power of immune cells against cancer
Creating ‘super soldiers’ of specific white blood cells to boost an anti-tumor response has been shown in a series of elegant experiments.
Innate immune system worsens the situation in severe COVID-19
In patients with severe COVID-19, the innate immune system overreacts. This overreaction may underlie the formation of blood clots and deterioration in oxygen saturation that affect the patients, according to a new study.