Natural Killer Cells News and Research

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Depleting SIRPα-deficient in macrophages activate tumor antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells

In a study that will be published in Nature Communications on May 28, 2021, a research team led by Dr. Yuan Liu from Georgia State University reports that intratumoral SIRPα-deficient macrophages activate tumor antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells to eliminate various syngeneic cancers under radiotherapy.

2 Jun 2021

Do vaccinations result in anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in human milk?

The aim of this study investigates the impact of different types of vaccines on the anti-SARS-CoV-2 Immunoglobulin A (IgA) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody levels found in human milk.

25 May 2021

Study could lead to new antibiotics to fight bacterial infections

One member of a large protein family that is known to stop the spread of bacterial infections by prompting infected human cells to self-destruct appears to kill the infectious bacteria instead, a new study led by UT Southwestern scientists shows.

21 May 2021

NK cells combined with bispecific antibody display potent anti-tumor activity against lymphoma cells

Cytokine-activated natural killer (NK) cells derived from donated umbilical cord blood, combined with an investigational bispecific antibody targeting CD16a and CD30 known as AFM13, displayed potent anti-tumor activity against CD30+ lymphoma cells, according to a new preclinical study from researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

13 May 2021

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine effective in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms

Researchers in the UK have provided evidence that Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine induces effective immune responses in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms.

13 May 2021

Researchers identify first biomarker to predict severity of COVID-19

Severe cases of COVID-19 can now be detected at an early stage. Researchers at the University of Zurich have identified the first biomarker that can reliably predict which patients will develop severe symptoms.

10 May 2021

Stem cell therapy for COVID-19 and ARDS

In a review paper recently uploaded to the journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy by Mahendiratta et al. (May 2021) the applicability of stem cells in treating severe SARS-CoV-2 infection is investigated, with regard to ARDS therapy.

5 May 2021

Striking difference identified between mRNA vaccination vs. SARS-CoV-2 infection immune responses

A team of scientists from the United States has recently compared the immune response elicited by natural severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination. Their findings reveal that, unlike vaccination, natural SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with a robust interferon response together with an induction of cytotoxic gene expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

22 Apr 2021

Phase 2 clinical trial launched in Thailand to evaluate IL-15 agonist as therapy to reduce HIV reservoir

The U.S. Military HIV Research Program (MHRP) at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research last week launched a Phase 2 clinical trial in Thailand to evaluate an interleukin-15 (IL-15) superagonist, ImmunityBio's Anktiva (also called N-803), administered during acute HIV infection as an experimental therapy to target establishment of the HIV reservoir at a very early stage.

8 Apr 2021

Neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in mice depend on Fc effector function

A new study reports the essential nature of Fc-mediated functionalities in determining the efficacy of such antibodies.

24 Mar 2021

Which biomarkers can help predict severe COVID-19?

The ability to detect potentially fatal illness early on in the course of the disease would enable a swift prioritization of these high-risk individuals for treatment. A new preprint on the medRxiv* server presents an array of biomarkers that may help achieve this laudable goal.

15 Mar 2021

Dual-action monoclonal antibodies from an original SARS survivor show promise against COVID-19

A recent study, currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server, indicates that a pair of dual-action monoclonal antibodies derived from an original 2003 SARS survivors could play an important role in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to their broadly neutralizing activity and the engagement of the immune system via effector function capabilities.

14 Mar 2021

Novel computer-guided design tool helps increase the efficiency of cell conversions

There is a great need to generate various types of cells for use in new therapies to replace tissues that are lost due to disease or injuries, or for studies outside the human body to improve our understanding of how organs and tissues function in health and disease.

13 Mar 2021

Study reports lasting immune response in convalescent COVID-19 patients

Researchers report the cellular immune response of convalescent patients in Germany, who recovered from mild or moderate infection compared to that of healthy people with no history of COVID-19.

25 Feb 2021

People with absence of natural killer cell receptor are likely to develop severe COVID-19

The course and severity of COVID-19 in individual patients are largely influenced by the interaction between the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and the human immune system.

23 Feb 2021

Trispecific antibody targets cancer cells, natural killer cells

Several treatments for cancer have been devised by science, but unfortunately none of them are completely efficient or foolproof.

19 Feb 2021

Innate immune system prevents severe COVID-19 in children

Children are protected from severe COVID-19 because their innate immune system is quick to attack the virus, a new study has found.

17 Feb 2021

Novel immunotherapy approach to revert the main hallmarks of cat allergy

Researchers from the Department of Infection and Immunity of the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) brought forward the potential of high doses of a specific adjuvant molecule, namely CpG oligonucleotide, in successfully modulating the immune system's allergic response to the main cat allergen Fel d 1, thereby inducing a tolerance-promoting reaction and reverting the main hallmarks of cat allergy.

5 Feb 2021

Insight into role of aging in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine set out to determine the differences between young people and older adults regarding their host responses against SARS-CoV-2. The team revealed that independent of disease severity, COVID-19 was linked to a significant shift in plasma inflammatory factors. The research is posted to the pre-print server medRxiv*.

3 Feb 2021

Tiny molecular motions are of key significance in modern anti-cancer drugs

Modern immunotherapeutic anti-cancer drugs support a natural mechanism of the immune system to inhibit the growth of cancer cells.