Immune System News and Research

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Cancer cells exploit liver fat to evade immune system destruction

Liver metastases are among the most common and deadly forms of cancer spread. Now, researchers at VIB and KU Leuven, with international collaborators, have discovered how cancer cells exploit a fatty acid abundant in the liver to evade destruction by the immune system.

5 Aug 2026

Newly discovered immune pathway prevents fatal fungal infections in mice

An immune pathway has been discovered which prevents a normally harmless fungus developing into a fatal infection.

5 Aug 2026

Air pollution may worsen rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and flare risk

A novel study shows that exposure to air pollution, especially fine particulate matter like dust, soot, and smoke (PM2.5), is associated with increased disease activity and flare risk in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

5 Aug 2026

NIH funds research to explore the role of thymulin in inflammaging and cancer

As we age, chronic inflammation-or "inflammaging"-increases throughout the body and weakens our ability to fight cancer.

4 Aug 2026

Breast cancer co-opts the immune system to attract nerves that fuel tumor growth

New research from the University of Oklahoma demonstrates how an aggressive form of breast cancer co-opts the body's own immune system to attract nerves that fuel tumor growth.

4 Aug 2026

Malaria infection causes permanent damage to the spleen immune cells

Macrophages formed in the bone marrow can only assume the function of embryonal phagocytes, or "scavenger cells," to a certain degree according to a study by the University of Bonn and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity at the University of Melbourne.

4 Aug 2026

3D DNA organization in rare immune cells can explain Crohn's disease risk

A new study co-led by Prof. Valeriya Malysheva, group leader at the VIB-UAntwerp Center for Molecular Neurology, has been published in Nature Genetics.

4 Aug 2026

Study shows how solid food shapes immune system development

In a mouse model, LMU researchers have discovered a signaling pathway through which diet influences the development of the immune system.

4 Aug 2026

Australian-first twin study aims to to unlock new insights into immune health

An Australian-first study of twins will seek to find out why two genetically similar people respond differently to infections, diseases and treatments.

4 Aug 2026

New genomic approach links rare immune cells to autoimmune disease risk

Much of how genetic risk leads to disease has remained hidden. In many cases, genetic variants linked to disease do not act on nearby genes along the chromosome.

4 Aug 2026

Study links ancient evolutionary pressures to severe COVID-19 risk

Every time a virus invades a person, it collides with thousands of years of human history. A study led by researchers at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and Howard University suggests that some of the genes involved in the body's immune response today bear the marks of ancient battles with infectious diseases.

3 Aug 2026

Newly-discovered protein acts as off switch for human immune cells

Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a protein that cancer cells use to shut down the body's immune response, a discovery that could help scientists develop new treatments that make cancer immunotherapies more effective.

3 Aug 2026

Immune cell changes provide new insights into long COVID

Extreme fatigue, a racing pulse, shortness of breath, brain fog, aching joints-the symptoms of long COVID can vary widely, change unpredictably, and be difficult to even recognize as signs of the condition.

2 Aug 2026

Blocking xenophagocytosis improves donor cell survival and interspecies organ generation

Xenophagocytosis is a natural immune process that limits interspecies organ generation by eliminating living donor cells, report researchers at Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan.

31 Jul 2026

Study offers a potential strategy to make nanoparticle-based cancer drugs more effective

A new study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has identified a way to reshape the gut microbiome that can enhance the delivery of certain chemotherapies to tumors, offering a potential strategy to make nanoparticle-based cancer drugs more effective.

31 Jul 2026

Arginine boosts immune defenses against cancer and viral infections

The amino acid arginine helps to keep the human body humming, most notably by synthesizing proteins that carry out a range of cellular processes.

31 Jul 2026

Immune cell navigation breakthrough offers hope for better anti-inflammatory drugs

A scientific collaboration between the University of Bath (UK) and the UMass Chan Medical School (USA) have determined how a specific type of white blood cells, called neutrophils, move through the body.

31 Jul 2026

Scientists map protective cell networks hiding dormant breast tumor cells

Researchers at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London and UCL Genetics Institute have created a detailed map of cells within breast tumors and identified distinct neighborhoods of proliferating and dormant cells.

31 Jul 2026

Mouse study links leaky gut to severe food allergies

A "leaky gut" might increase the severity of food allergies, according to new research conducted in mice and published in The Journal of Immunology.

31 Jul 2026

Research identifies common neuroimmune signatures in rapid-acting antidepressants

In a new study, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have uncovered insights that may help explain how rapid-acting antidepressants, such as ketamine and psychedelics, can reduce symptoms in difficult-to-treat depression.

30 Jul 2026