immunity News and Research

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Azithromycin fails to improve severe wheezing in preschool children

A study led by researchers at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson showed that giving the antibiotic azithromycin did not help preschool children seen in the hospital emergency room with bouts of severe wheezing.

18 May 2026

Aged immune cells may drive memory decline by releasing a brain-aging protein

A preclinical mouse study in Immunity suggests that aged circulating CD8+ T cells can disrupt hippocampal function and impair learning and memory. The findings point to granzyme K, a secreted factor linked to age-associated CD8+ T cells, as a potential target for restoring aspects of cognition in aging.

17 May 2026

Stanford scientists map the molecular diversity of different global populations

Researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine have found that ethnicity and geography may influence human molecular makeup - from metabolism and immunity to gut microbiota and biological aging.

14 May 2026

Turning the flu virus into a powerful tool to fight cancer

A recent Views & Comments article published in Engineering highlights advances in repurposing influenza viruses as flexible therapeutic platforms for infectious diseases and cancer, driven by progress in reverse genetics and viral vector engineering.

14 May 2026

New mRNA adjuvant dramatically boosts T-cell vaccine responses in mice

MIT engineers have developed a new way to amplify the T-cell response to mRNA vaccines - an advance that could lead to much more powerful cancer vaccines and stronger protection against infectious diseases.

13 May 2026

Global health progress reversing in several critical areas, WHO warns

While there have been meaningful improvements in global health over the past decade, with millions benefiting from better prevention, treatment and access to essential services, persistent and emerging challenges mean that the world remains off track to achieve any of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

13 May 2026

New malaria vaccine offers long-lasting protection without refrigeration

Malaria is a deadly disease killing more than half a million people every year, but a new vaccine is showing promise as it not only offers long-lasting strong protection but also inhibits transmission of malaria by mosquitos.

13 May 2026

A century of safety: Aluminium vaccine adjuvants do not raise serious long-term health risks

A BMJ systematic review of 59 human studies found no evidence supporting causal links between aluminum-adjuvanted vaccines and serious or long-term outcomes such as autism spectrum disorder, asthma, autoimmune conditions, or other chronic illnesses. The most consistent adverse events were uncommon, local, self-limited persistent nodules or granulomas, likely reflecting delayed-type hypersensitivity.

11 May 2026

Scientists discover immune cell control switch to destroy fungal infections

Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UK) have contributed to discovering a "control switch" inside our immune cells that helps the body destroy dangerous fungal infections.

11 May 2026

Tumors exploit peripheral nerves to support cancer growth and spread

Tumors do not communicate only with immune cells, blood vessels, and stromal tissue. A growing body of evidence suggests that cancer can also co-opt the nervous system, reshaping the tumor microenvironment in ways that support growth, invasion, immune escape, and therapeutic resistance.

10 May 2026

Study challenges assumptions about testosterone’s role in brain cancer

Scientists have long suspected that androgens, male sex hormones like testosterone, may help tumors grow because the hormones can suppress immune responses to some cancers.

8 May 2026

Engineered regulatory T cells offer a path toward immunosuppression-free transplants

Organ transplantation remains the cornerstone treatment for end-stage organ failure. While conventional broad-spectrum immunosuppression effectively controls acute rejection, it fails to address chronic rejection and carries long-term side effects including infection, malignancy, and metabolic disorders.

8 May 2026

Postpartum diabetes monitoring remains low among many new mothers

Few women with postpartum-onset diabetes meet recommended A1C monitoring guidelines, highlighting a need to improve routine diabetes care-particularly among Black women-according to new research at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

8 May 2026

Study explores nasal spray flu vaccine effects in children

A new study will explore the effects of a nasal spray flu vaccine on children's immune systems, aiming to boost future protection and lower vaccine hesitancy rates.

7 May 2026

Study reveals why women face higher autoimmune disease risks

Ahead of World Lupus Day on May 10, new research from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and UNSW Sydney helps explain why women are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with an autoimmune disease – a condition where the immune system misfires and mistakenly attacks the body's own healthy tissues.

7 May 2026

Scientists identify powerful human antibodies capable of neutralizing measles virus

Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) are the first in the world to characterize human antibodies capable of neutralizing measles virus.

7 May 2026

A new combined therapy to boost the immune system against cancer

Cancer immunotherapy is built on a simple but powerful idea: the immune system can recognize and destroy cancer cells if it is properly activated. In many patients, however, this response is too weak or too slow to be effective.

7 May 2026

Cruise ship-linked hantavirus cases highlight zoonotic infection risks

The Global Virus Network (GVN), representing eminent human and animal virologists from more than 90 Centers of Excellence and Affiliates in over 40 countries dedicated to advancing research, collaboration, and pandemic preparedness, is closely monitoring reports of a hantavirus cluster linked to a cruise ship traveling in the Atlantic, which has resulted in multiple severe cases and fatalities.

5 May 2026

Study links antimicrobial peptides to amyloid disease and neurodegeneration

For decades, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and amyloid-forming peptides were studied in largely separate contexts.

5 May 2026

How a common gut bacterium may protect health

Akkermansia muciniphila's impact on immunity and pregnancy outcomes underscores its promise as a probiotic, with implications for infectious disease treatment.

4 May 2026