Phagocytes News and Research

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Exploring the versatile roles of tissue macrophages beyond immune defense

The role of resident tissue macrophages (RTMs) in homeostasis and disease.

17 Apr 2024

Link between gut dysbiosis and chronic diseases explored in new study

Study explores the ecological causes of gut dysbiosis and its link to human diseases, revealing how imbalances in gut microbiota composition, influenced by host-derived factors like oxygen and nitrate, contribute to various chronic conditions.

5 Dec 2023

Parasites that cause visceral leishmaniasis can infect non-immune cells, study finds

The organisms that cause visceral leishmaniasis, a potentially deadly version of the parasitic disease that most often affects the skin to cause disfiguring disease, appear to have a secret weapon, new research suggests: They can infect non-immune cells and persist in those uncommon environments.

29 Sep 2023

New insights into the pathogenic mechanisms of SLC29A3 disorders

In humans, the SLC29A3 gene regulates the function of lysosomes to control waste recycling in cells such as macrophages (that engulf and destroy foreign bodies).

22 Aug 2023

New insights into dendritic cell biology could lead to improved cancer therapies

The cells of the immune system circulate mainly in the blood and migrate into the body's tissues after an inflammation. Some types of immune cells, however, are permanently located in the tissues, where they come together to form three-dimensional networks.

17 Jul 2023

New insights into how dendritic cells arm T cells to fight disease

As part of the immune system, dendritic cells are essential for fighting body cells that have degenerated or are infected with a virus.

11 Jul 2023

Scientist identifies the specific mechanistic cause of life-threatening fungal infections

Major fungal infections have become more common across the globe, and one unexpected phenomenon among the rise of fungi is life-threatening infections as a result of a complication of certain immunotherapies and small molecule kinase inhibitors.

15 Jun 2023

Teaming up with the patient’s immune system to combat cancer

The fact that our immune systems capture and destroy nanoparticles and the drugs they carry has been a problem in the field of nanomedicine for some time. But, in the fight against cancer, researchers are now attempting to exploit this problem to their advantage.

8 Jun 2023

Bioengineered drug candidate can counter S. aureus infection in early tests

Researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and Janssen Biotech, Inc. have shown in early tests that a bioengineered drug candidate can counter infection with Staphylococcus aureus – a bacterial species widely resistant to antibiotics and a major cause of death in hospitalized patients.

24 Apr 2023

Rockefeller scientists describe the genetics of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection in children

One of the most terrifying aspects of the COVID pandemic has been its unpredictably severe impact on some children.

10 Feb 2023

Researcher contextualizes a study on IgG4 anti-Spike levels after repeated SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination

A researchers emphasized the need to reconsider mRNA COVID-19 vaccination strategies in the future,

9 Feb 2023

Underlying genetic cause for MIS-C complications after COVID-19 identified

A recent Science journal study determined the underlying cause of MIS-C related to SARS-CoV-2 in some children. It hypothesized that monogenic inborn errors of immunity (IEI) is the primary reason for this condition. Identifying these inborn errors is expected to help elucidate the disease's cellular, molecular, and immunological basis.

2 Jan 2023

Scientists study OAS–RNase L errors and COVID-19-associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children

Researchers assessed the inborn abnormalities of 2′-5′-oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS)-ribonuclease L (RNASEL) noted in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).

23 Dec 2022

Immune-evading Mycobacterium tuberculosis prevents inflammatory responses by hijacking the host’s ubiquitin

A new study discussed the findings of Chai et al., which revealed that triple specificity protein phosphatase (ptpB) secreted by Mycobacterium tuberculosis inhibits pyroptosis and the release of cytokines by macrophages, allowing M. tuberculosis to invade the immune system.

19 Dec 2022

Scientists develop preclinical model of scrub typhus disease

Scientists have developed an animal model of scrub typhus using outbred CD-1 mice. Using the model, they have characterized host susceptibility to the causative pathogen, disease pathogenesis, and immune responses. The study has been published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

27 Nov 2022

COVID-19 and the gut

Researchers summarize current knowledge about underlying mechanisms and potential therapeutic approaches for the effects of COVID-19 on the gut.

26 Oct 2022

Research reveals pivotal role of C/EBPb in the development of alveolar macrophages

If a secretion in the lungs’ alveoli is not cleared regularly, breathing difficulties can develop. In a study published in Science Immunology, a team led by Alexander Mildner and Achim Leutz has now explained the pivotal role of the transcription factor C/EBPb in this process.

16 Sep 2022

Novel fusion protein drug for Alzheimer’s disease circumvents the neurotoxic inflammatory side effects

Although Aduhelm, a monoclonal antibody targeting amyloid beta (Aβ), recently became the first US FDA approved drug for Alzheimer's disease (AD) based on its ability to decrease Aβ plaque burden in AD patients, its effect on cognitive improvement is still controversial.

4 Aug 2022

Study highlights impaired ketogenesis as a potential confounder of severe COVID-19

In severe Covid-19 patients, the metabolism produces insufficient amounts of certain energy-rich compounds called ketone bodies. However, these energy carriers are needed by two important cell types in the immune system in order to fight the virus effectively.

28 Jul 2022

Stress appears to have a negative effect on the learning of movements in mice

Stress seems to have a negative effect on the learning of movements - at least in mice. This is the conclusion of a recent study at the University of Bonn.

8 Mar 2022