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.

Metformin potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2-induced cytokine release in monocytes

An interesting new bioRxiv* preprint reports the suppression of monocyte glycolysis and cytokine production when exposed to the virus, following pretreatment with the commonly used drug, metformin.

6 Jun 2021

Antibody treatment reactivates the immune defense in patients with advanced-stage cancer

Researchers at the University of Turku, Finland, showed that the antibody treatment reactivates the immune defense in patients with advanced-stage cancer.

3 Jun 2021

Researchers are closer to unraveling the mystery of science behind regeneration

Many salamanders can readily regenerate a lost limb, but adult mammals, including humans, cannot. Why this is the case is a scientific mystery that has fascinated observers of the natural world for thousands of years.

3 Jun 2021

Newly developed spheroidal structure reproduces the microenvironment of tumors

Every tumor is different, every patient is different. So how do we know which treatment will work best for the patient and eradicate the cancer? In order to offer a personalised treatment that best suits the case being treated, a team of scientists led by the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, had already developed a spheroidal reproduction of tumors that integrates the tumor cells, but also their microenvironment.

3 Jun 2021

Study reveals how HIV prevents the maturation of myelin-making brain cells

It's long been known that people living with HIV experience a loss of white matter in their brains. As opposed to "gray matter," which is composed of the cell bodies of neurons, white matter is made up of a fatty substance called myelin that coats neurons, offering protection and helping them transmit signals quickly and efficiently.

2 Jun 2021

New insight into how platelets help resolve bacterial lung inflammation

Treating patients with acute respiratory failure is a constant challenge in intensive care medicine. In most cases, the underlying cause is lung inflammation triggered by a bacterial infection or - more rarely, despite being frequently observed at present due to the corona pandemic - a viral infection.

2 Jun 2021

Study uncovers mechanisms by which microRNAs drive atherogenesis in a cell-type-specific manner

Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland have uncovered potential mechanisms by which microRNAs (miRNA) drive atherogenesis in a cell-type-specific manner.

2 Jun 2021

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

Function and regeneration of dendritic cells impaired in COVID-19

A group of researchers from Germany has investigated and analyzed circulating dendritic cells and monocyte subsets in 65 hospitalized COVID-19 patients with mild to severe presentations of the infection. A variety of patients were included in their study, from those who exhibited minor signs of acute disease to convalescents, as well as healthy controls

31 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 NSP14 induces potent inflammation via NF-κB pathways, finds study

SARS-CoV-2 has a single-stranded RNA genome encoding both structural and non-structural proteins. Of these, the latter is known to play a variety of roles in viral replication and the assembly of new viral particles, as well as in suppressing cellular immune responses. A new study reports the activity of one such protein, the non-structural protein 14 (NSP14), which activates the inflammatory mediator NF-κB to trigger intense inflammation.

31 May 2021

Neuropathology of COVID-19 patients caused by infection of brain pericytes

Recently, researchers from the UK and Sweden used highly sensitive multiplexed immunohistochemistry to study the brain tissue of COVID-19 patients and controls to analyze ACE2 expression in brain pericytes of patients with neurological symptoms. They also used spatial immunophenotyping to assess inflammation in brain tissue of COVID-19 patients.

31 May 2021

New study advances knowledge about the link between obesity-associated inflammation and cancer

A review study led by Maria D. Sanchez-Pino, PhD, an assistant research professor in the departments of Interdisciplinary Oncology and Genetics at LSU Health New Orleans' School of Medicine and Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, advances knowledge about the connection between obesity-associated inflammation and cancer.

28 May 2021

Vagus nerve stimulation may be a potential adjunct therapy for COVID-19

COVID-19 was initially described as lung inflammation, or pneumonia, in older adults. However, we now know that SARS-CoV-2 infections can cause a wide range of symptoms in people of all ages, ranging from no symptoms at all to systemic inflammation and even death.

27 May 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

The potential therapeutic value of CDK6 inhibitors in critical COVID-19

While drug repurposing has been explored in the context of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the success of this strategy has been limited so far. A new study, released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, describes a new method of identifying a promising hit among drugs already in use.

24 May 2021

Risk factors for rare COVID-19 complications in children (MIS-C)

While the earlier waves of COVID-19 relatively spared children, some of the affected children have developed a systemic inflammatory condition, with occasionally fatal outcomes. Called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), its pathogenesis and risk factors are the subject of a new study on the medRxiv* preprint server.

21 May 2021

Nanotechnology and COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment

The development of nano-biosensors and nanoparticle-based vaccines and medicines has opened a new path toward better management of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In a recently published article in the journal ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, scientists have reviewed recent advancements in nanotechnology-based diagnostic and therapeutic interventions against human coronaviruses.

17 May 2021

Androgens play a critical role in regulating stomach inflammation in mice

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health determined that stomach inflammation is regulated differently in male and female mice after finding that androgens, or male sex hormones, play a critical role in preventing inflammation in the stomach.

14 May 2021

Comprehensive blood atlas of COVID-19 identifies hallmarks of disease severity

Researchers in the UK have presented a multi-omics integrated blood atlas that delineates the host immune response in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) of varying severity, providing a unique reference resource for the interpretation of datasets generated from interventional trials.

13 May 2021

Researchers identify six “words” used by specific immune cells to call up immune defense genes

UCLA life scientists have identified six "words" that specific immune cells use to call up immune defense genes -- an important step toward understanding the language the body uses to marshal responses to threats.

13 May 2021