Macrophage News and Research

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A macrophage is a type of white blood cell that surrounds and kills microorganisms, removes dead cells, and stimulates the action of other immune system cells.

Researchers generate a transcriptomic map of the COVID brain

COVID-19 is known to be associated with multiple changes in gene expression, but many of these are also seen in chronic brain conditions as well as in some abnormal mental conditions. A recent study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in October 2020 uncovers the molecular basis of this association.

26 Oct 2020

Researchers show a simple way to protect transplanted islets from rejection

Type 1 diabetes, or T1D, results from the autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. People with T1D require exogenous insulin and suffer swings in the levels of glucose in the blood that impact life expectancy and increase risks of cardiovascular disease, neuropathies and kidney failure.

22 Oct 2020

Scientists use gold nanorod scattering to identify changes in macrophages

Every biological system is naturally equipped with a defense mechanism to protect against abnormal changes caused by either local, environmental, or biochemical alteration. White blood cells play the role of such a 'soldier' in our immune response.

21 Oct 2020

Study could offer important clues on factors affecting human microbiome rhythms

Nearly every organism hosts a collection of symbiotic microbes--a microbiome. It is now recognized that microbiomes are major drivers of health in all animals, including humans, and that these symbiotic systems often exhibit strong daily rhythms.

20 Oct 2020

Androgen deprivation strategies could help mitigate SARS-CoV-2 infection

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have noted that women are generally less severely affected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This has led to the exploration into estrogen and androgens' role in the hyperinflammatory clinical phenotypes of COVID-19. A recent study published on the preprint server bioRxiv shows that drugs targeting androgens and TMPRSS2 inhibitors may potentially combat the pandemic.

20 Oct 2020

Researchers apply a novel technique to improve understanding of liver disease, immune activation

Human cells are encased by a membrane coated with diverse sugar molecules known as glycans. These glycans play many roles in health and disease, making them important to understand.

20 Oct 2020

GIV protein involved in the immune system could form basis for novel therapeutics

The immune response to infections is a delicate balance. We need just enough action to clear away the offending bacteria or viruses, but not so much that our own bodies suffer collateral damage.

15 Oct 2020

Bacterial toxin stimulates tissue regeneration

Normally they are among the many harmless organisms found in and on the human body: one in four people have millions of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria on their skin and on the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, without being aware of it.

13 Oct 2020

CAR NKT cells offer a promising approach to combat hard-to-treat solid tumors

Natural killer T (NKT) cells, a type of immune cells known for their potent anti-cancer properties in murine tumor models, have been developed into a novel form of immunotherapy to treat patients with cancer.

13 Oct 2020

Pathways contributing to hypercoagulability in severe SARS‐CoV‐2 patients

In a study by researchers explored the possible mechanisms of the clotting disorder, focusing on the role of hypoxia-related activation of coagulation factors; cytokine storm, activation of neutrophils, and the release of neutrophil extracellular traps.

11 Oct 2020

Fetal brain models could predict neurodevelopmental outcomes of COVID-19 exposure

Researchers in the United States and Sweden have created personalized models of fetal brain microglia to investigate the effects of maternal infection on the developing brain, including infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

11 Oct 2020

Developing a precision 'Trojan Horse' nanotherapy to treat breast cancer

With a nearly $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, Michigan State University researchers are using nanoscopic particles to turn the body's own cells into weapons that cancer won't see coming.

9 Oct 2020

Research shows choroid plexus can act as a conduit for prenatal inflammation

Floating in fluid deep in the brain are small, little understood fronds of tissue. Two new studies reveal that these miniature organs are a hotbed of immune system activity.

9 Oct 2020

Macrophage subgroups may play pivotal role in COVID-19 lethality

Many researchers are attempting to identify risk factors for severe or critical COVID-19. A recent paper in the journal Medical Hypotheses in September 2020 suggests that macrophage class activation is one of the factors that determine the clinical phenotype of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

5 Oct 2020

$9.1 million NCI grant renewal will support researchers studying retrovirus cancer models

The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute and The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine have been awarded a five-year, $9.1 million grant Program Project Grant renewal from the National Cancer Institute.

1 Oct 2020

Lung tissue in fatal COVID-19 shows broad cell tropism and extensive damage

In a recent preprint paper published on the medRxiv server, researchers demonstrated their investigation of fatal COVID-19 patients to assess infection in various cell types and the extent of damage it caused to the lung tissues.

30 Sep 2020

Maternal immune cells could bring SARS-CoV-2 to the placenta

Researchers from Canada and Brazil collaborated to explore the possibility of perinatal transmission of the virus from pregnant mothers to their babies and the risk of preterm birth.

30 Sep 2020

Study shows tofacitinib drug can repair permeability defects in the intestine

A team of researchers led by biomedical scientist Declan F. McCole at the University of California, Riverside, has found that the drug tofacitinib, also called Xeljanz and approved by the FDA to treat rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis, can repair permeability defects in the intestine.

30 Sep 2020

A study contradicting the phenotypical relationship between plasmablasts and developing neutrophils

A team of scientists from Australia challenges the findings of a recent study by Wilk et al. demonstrating that plasmablasts transdifferentiate into developing neutrophils in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The Australian study is currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server.

29 Sep 2020