Influenza vaccines need to be evaluated every year to ensure they remain effective against new influenza viruses. Will the same apply to COVID-19 vaccines? Researchers compared the evolution of endemic ‘common cold’ coronaviruses with that of influenza…
Study reveals how long-term infection and inflammation impairs immune response as we age
A study shows for the first time that long-term infection and chronic inflammation drive CH mediated by the loss of Dnmt3a function. In addition, the study offers key insights into the mechanism by which chronic inflammation leads to CH and demonstrate…
COVID-19 vaccines may not produce sufficient antibody response in transplant recipients
When clinical trials were conducted to determine the immunogenicity — the ability to elicit an immune response — for the first two vaccines marshaled against SARS-CoV-2the virus that causes COVID-19, one group was not among those included: people who…
Repurposed heart and flu drugs may help body fight sepsis
Researchers discovered that patient survival from sepsis is associated with higher platelet counts, and identified two currently available drugs that protect these blood cells and improve survival in mice with sepsis.
Lung cancer resistance: the key is glucose
Lung tumors are home to immune cells that affect their growth and resistance to treatment. Looking at neutrophils, scientists led by EPFL have discovered that the key might lie in the cells’ ability to metabolize glucose, opening an entirely new target…
Rare genetic variant puts some younger men at risk of severe COVID-19
A subset of young men carry a genetic variant that dampens innate immunity to COVID-19 and may benefit from genetic testing and interferon treatment, according to a new study.
Prolonged immune response may contribute to post-COVID-19 blood clots
COVID-19 survivors, particularly those with heart disease or diabetes, may have an increased risk of blood clots or strokes due to prolonged immune response, according to new research.
Variances in critical protein may guide fate of those infected with SARS CoV-2
Why does COVID-19 seem to strike in such a haphazard way, sometimes sparing the 100-year-old grandmother, while killing healthy young men and women in the prime of life? A new study may offer some tentative clues. The research explores MHC-I, a critica…
Inflammatory bowel disease biologic blunts immune response to COVID-19, study finds
Infliximab, a powerful biologic that is used to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), blunts the body’s immune response to COVID-19 infection, new research indicates.
Bacteria may aid anti-cancer immune response
Cancer immunotherapy may get a boost from an unexpected direction: bacteria residing within tumor cells. Researchers have discovered that the immune system “sees” these bacteria and shown they can be harnessed to provoke an immune reaction against the …