New research provides evidence that host immunity drives evolution of the dengue virus. The research analyzes two decades of genetic variation from Thailand alongside population-level measures of infection and immunity.
Study links stress to Crohn’s disease flare-ups
Researchers using mouse models found that stress hormones suppressed the innate immune system that normally protects the gut from invasive Enterobacteriaceae, a group of bacteria including E. coli which has been linked to Crohn’s disease.
Research in mice shows how diet alters immune system function through a gut microbe
Research in mice demonstrates how diet alters a gut microbe molecule that, in turn, prompts immune cells to downregulate inflammation. The study elucidates molecular mechanism behind long-standing belief that diet, microbiota, and immunity influence on…
Why drug used to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients may only benefit males
A new study shows how dexamethasone, the main treatment for severe COVID-19 lung infections, alters how immune cells work, which may help male patients, but has little to no benefit for females.
Toward ‘off-the-shelf’ immune cell therapy for cancer
Immunotherapies, which harness the body’s natural defenses to combat disease, have revolutionized the treatment of aggressive and deadly cancers. But often, these therapies — especially those based on immune cells — must be tailored to the individual…
Immune cells against COVID-19 stay high in number six months after vaccination, study shows
A recent study provides evidence that CD4+ T lymphocytes — immune system cells also known as helper T cells — produced by people who received either of the two available messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines for COVID-19 persist six months after vaccination …
New gene identified that contributes to progression to type 1 diabetes
When the pro-inflammatory pair, a receptor called CCR2 and its ligand CCL-2, get together, it increases the risk of developing type 1 diabetes, scientists report.
Scientists identify second HIV patient whose body appears to have rid itself of the virus
In 2020, an untreated HIV patient was identified with no intact copies of HIV genomes in more than 1.5 billion blood cells analyzed, suggesting the virus had been cleared from the patient’s body. Researchers now report a second untreated person living …
Researchers target a mouse’s own cells, rather than using antibiotics, to treat pneumonia
Researchers have discovered a therapy that targets host cells rather than bacterial cells in treating bacterial pneumonia in rodents. The method involves white blood cells of the immune system called macrophages that eat bacteria, and a group of compou…
Using T cells to target malignant brain tumors
Doctors and scientists have successfully tested a neoantigen-specific transgenic immune cell therapy for malignant brain tumors for the first time using an experimental model in mice.