immunity News and Research

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US study shows updated COVID vaccines cut hospitalization odds by 55%

The 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccines were associated with 50% estimated effectiveness against COVID-19-associated emergency department and urgent care encounters among immunocompetent US adults. They were also linked to an estimated 55% effectiveness against COVID-19-associated hospitalization, providing added protection beyond existing immunity from prior infection or vaccination.

24 Jun 2026

Natural microbial compound helps protect the gut from chronic inflammation

University of Louisville researchers have discovered how a naturally occurring microbial compound may help protect the gut and support future treatment strategies for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

24 Jun 2026

Microbes trigger cell death to boost cancer immunotherapy effectiveness

Traditional cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy can induce immunogenic cell death (ICD), but their efficacy is often limited by drug resistance, severe off-target toxicity, and immune-related adverse events.

24 Jun 2026

Prime and pull vaccine approach prevents genital herpes infection

Genital herpes is a lifelong infection. While available treatments can manage symptoms, they cannot cure the infection or prevent transmission.

22 Jun 2026

Copper-induced cell death stimulates antitumor immune cell responses

A preclinical study from researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, published today in Cell, details a connection between the immune system and cuproptosis, a type of copper-induced cell death.

22 Jun 2026

Engineered CAR-T cells offer potential rheumatoid arthritis cure

For the 18 million people living with rheumatoid arthritis, disease management currently means a lifetime of injections-a reality that new research from Tsinghua University may soon begin to change.

22 Jun 2026

Scientists discover protective antibodies with potential to treat West Nile virus

West Nile virus (WNV) is transmitted by mosquitoes and is increasingly relevant for Europe and worldwide. It can cause severe brain infection and death, yet there is no specific antiviral treatment or approved human vaccine.

22 Jun 2026

Study links neuroimmune dysregulation to complex fibromyalgia symptoms

Fibromyalgia is a complex disorder characterized primarily by chronic widespread pain, fatigue and other physical and cognitive symptoms.

22 Jun 2026

New vaccines successfully boost frontline immune cells against HIV

T-cells are the immune system's frontline defenders with a crucial role in controlling HIV. In a milestone clinical trial published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers with the UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases (IGHID) at the UNC School of Medicine have demonstrated that new vaccines can significantly boost T cells targeting the most vulnerable, conserved regions of HIV-areas considered key to effective immune control.

22 Jun 2026

New human protein atlas maps how cancer rewires the body’s tissues

Researchers created a DIA-MS atlas of 13,609 proteins across 2,856 samples from fetal, healthy adult, paired non-tumor, and tumor tissues. The resource maps tissue-specific protein patterns, cancer-associated changes, organ-specific drug-toxicity signals, and candidate therapeutic targets.

21 Jun 2026

Synthetic gut communities reveal how diet rewires the microbiome

Synthetic microbial communities give researchers controlled models for testing how diet reshapes gut microbial ecology, metabolism, and host-relevant responses. The review highlights how SynComs can strengthen causal inference, improve intervention testing, and support future precision nutrition, while noting major challenges in stability, standardization, and ecological realism.

21 Jun 2026

AI discovers hidden antibiotic candidates inside disease-causing prions

New antibiotic candidates for drug-resistant bacteria may reside inside prions, mis-folded protein in the brain best known for rare and fatal degenerative brain diseases.

19 Jun 2026

HPV vaccination linked to sharp decline in cervical cancer deaths

High-income countries that initiated widespread administration of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine in the mid-2000s have experienced substantial declines in cervical cancer cases, marking a significant achievement in medicine.

18 Jun 2026

Breast milk nutrient boosts long-term immune system development

Trans-vaccenic acid (TVA), the most abundant trans fatty acid found in human breast milk, helps boost immune system development and has long-lasting effects on immune system health in mice, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Chicago.

18 Jun 2026

Oropouche virus infected millions more than official data shows

The recent Oropouche virus outbreak in 2023 drew attention in Brazil and other Latin American countries not only because of its scale – with more than 30,000 cases recorded nationwide – but also because of the first confirmed death in the country caused by the disease and its rapid spread to all states, extending beyond the Amazon region.

18 Jun 2026

New diagnostic tools aim to bridge long Covid knowledge gap

Five years after the first cases, patients with long Covid continue to go through months or years before receiving a diagnosis.

18 Jun 2026

Targeted vaccination strategies strengthen global biosecurity and biosafety

Biosafety prevents biohazard risks to humans and the environment, biosecurity protects biological assets from misuse, and One Health is an interdisciplinary framework uniting human, animal, and environmental health—all core to global health protection.

17 Jun 2026

US adults are taking more supplements as multivitamins lose ground

A 25-year NHANES analysis of 63,442 US adults found that reported dietary supplement use rose from 51% to 60%, with the largest increases among adults aged 65 years and older. Use shifted away from multivitamin-multimineral products and toward vitamins, minerals, botanicals, and nonvitamin nonmineral supplements marketed for immune, anti-inflammatory, gut, skin, and joint health.

16 Jun 2026

Engineered silica nanoparticles destroy prostate tumors in preclinical study

Prostate-targeted, engineered nanoparticles made of amorphous silica are effective in killing prostate tumors directly while enhancing anti-tumor immunity, according to a preclinical study led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Cornell College of Engineering.

15 Jun 2026

Neutrophils reduce the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy in mice

A type of white blood cell in the immune system, known as neutrophils, can make cancer immunotherapy less effective. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal Immunity.

15 Jun 2026