Immune Response News and Research

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Immune cell discovery could help develop new treatments for hepatitis B

For the first time, researchers at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research have identified and described a new and unique subset of human cells that are involved in the immune response against hepatitis B (HBV) infection. The discovery could help develop new treatments for HBV and inform future vaccine design.

9 Jun 2020

High-salt diet may modulate the gut microbiome

Particularly in females with untreated hypertension, reducing salt intake to what's considered a healthier level appears to be good for both their gut microbiome and their blood pressure, scientists report.

9 Jun 2020

Researchers examine bat genome assemblies to find solution for COVID-19

While questions remain about the origin of COVID-19, many scientists now believe the virus spread to humans from bats. Two Texas Tech University researchers are now taking a closer look at whether bats also could offer a solution to the pandemic.

9 Jun 2020

COVID-19 produces lung inflammation in non-human primate experiments

A new study published on the online preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 reports the successful use of three primate species to model the infection, pathogenesis, and clinical features associated with COVID-19. The research provides useful and immediately available models to test new vaccines and treatments.

9 Jun 2020

Scientists harness cancer immunotherapy tools to identify targets for COVID-19 vaccine

Cancer researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have harnessed tools used for the development of cancer immunotherapies and adapted them to identify regions of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to target with a vaccine, employing the same approach used to elicit an immune response against cancer cells to stimulate an immune response against the virus.

8 Jun 2020

Census of viral spike protein antigens could benefit development of SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics

A group of researchers has determined how different proteins associated with SARS-CoV-2 - the virus that causes COVID-19 - generate immune responses when given to rabbits as immunizations.

8 Jun 2020

Synthetic monoclonal antibodies effectively neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in laboratory conditions

In a new study available on the preprint server bioRxiv*, a multinational research group demonstrated how monoclonal antibodies strongly inhibit severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in vitro at even sub-nanomolar concentrations. This makes them a prime candidate for the treatment of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

8 Jun 2020

Georgia State researcher receives $1.95 million NIH grant to study cause of autoimmunity

Dr. Leszek Ignatowicz, a professor in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University, has received a five-year, $1.95 million federal grant to study what causes autoimmunity in the human body.

8 Jun 2020

Scientists find way to prevent warmed-up vaccines from degrading

Vaccines are notoriously difficult to transport to remote or dangerous places, as they spoil when not refrigerated.

8 Jun 2020

Monocytes could be critical in dysregulated immunity in COVID-19

A new study by Spanish researchers as part of the GEN-COVID Project, and published on the preprint server medRxiv* in June 2020, suggests that monocytes are primarily involved in triggering the hyperinflammatory immune response that may underlie severe COVID-19 infection.

8 Jun 2020

SARS-CoV-2 invasion of central nervous system through olfactory tract

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to claim lives throughout the world, the evidence is mounting that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) affects the respiratory tract as well as the central nervous system. Now, a new study by German researchers published on the preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 describes various neurological manifestations of COVID-19, as well as the underlying pathophysiology.

7 Jun 2020

Tocilizumab in COVID-19 patients on mechanical ventilation

Now, a new study by researchers from the University of Michigan and published on the online preprint server medRxiv* in June 2020 shows that the cytokine inhibitor tocilizumab could have a favorable effect on survival in the most severely infected patients who require mechanical ventilation. This needs to be confirmed by clinical trials.

7 Jun 2020

New strategy may facilitate development of multi-epitope peptide vaccine against SARS-CoV-2

By combining T and B lymphocyte analysis with manufacturability heuristic, researchers from the US and Germany proposed a set of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine peptides to use in subsequent animal studies and clinical trials. Their paper is currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server.

7 Jun 2020

Zinc-finger antiviral protein makes SARS-CoV-2 highly susceptible to interferons

By looking into zinc-finger antiviral proteins (ZAP), a new study from Germany and the United Kingdom (UK) and available on the preprint server bioRxiv suggests that zoonotic transmission of a coronavirus with a specific genetic make-up facilitated the pandemic spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but also its sensitivity to interferons.

7 Jun 2020

Approved drug could help dampen massive immune response associated with severe COVID-19

The drug acalabrutinib, FDA-approved for the treatment of several types of B cell cancers, improved the oxygenation levels and decreased molecular markers of inflammation in a majority of 19 patients hospitalized for the treatment of severe COVID-19, according to a new study by Mark Roschewski and colleagues.

5 Jun 2020

New approach helps identify protein biomarkers in the blood of COVID-19 patients

People respond very differently to infection with the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). While some patients develop no symptoms at all, others will develop severe disease and may even die. For this reason, there is an urgent need for 'biomarkers', quantifiable biological characteristics which could provide a reliable means of predicting disease progression and severity.

5 Jun 2020

European database investigates COVID-19 outcomes in patients with kidney failure

Experience throughout the world, including in Europe, shows that advanced age is the most important risk factor for death in COVID-19: people aged over 70 years are over 10 times more likely to die compared to those aged below 50.

5 Jun 2020

T cells can counteract dangerous phenomenon of mosquito-borne viruses

Every year, more than 68,000 people end up with a clinical case of Japanese encephalitis. One in four of these patients will die. The mosquito-borne virus, which is most common in Southeast Asia, also causes severe neurological damage and psychiatric disorders.

5 Jun 2020

Study offers a deeper understanding of T cell immunity in the elderly

A study by Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) expands the understanding of the molecular pathways that control T cell function and survival and how it relates to declining T cell immunity in the elderly.

5 Jun 2020

A SARS-CoV-2 antibody magnetic immuno-detection test

A new report, released on the preprint server bioRxiv by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, describes the development of an innovative serologic test that could provide a fast, easy, and inexpensive method of detecting high titers of antibody in the serum of SARS-CoV-2 infected people.

4 Jun 2020

Immune Response News and Research

Immune cell discovery could help develop new treatments for hepatitis B

High-salt diet may modulate the gut microbiome

Researchers examine bat genome assemblies to find solution for COVID-19

COVID-19 produces lung inflammation in non-human primate experiments

Scientists harness cancer immunotherapy tools to identify targets for COVID-19 vaccine

Census of viral spike protein antigens could benefit development of SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics

Synthetic monoclonal antibodies effectively neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in laboratory conditions

Georgia State researcher receives $1.95 million NIH grant to study cause of autoimmunity

Scientists find way to prevent warmed-up vaccines from degrading

Monocytes could be critical in dysregulated immunity in COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2 invasion of central nervous system through olfactory tract

Tocilizumab in COVID-19 patients on mechanical ventilation

New strategy may facilitate development of multi-epitope peptide vaccine against SARS-CoV-2

Zinc-finger antiviral protein makes SARS-CoV-2 highly susceptible to interferons

Approved drug could help dampen massive immune response associated with severe COVID-19

New approach helps identify protein biomarkers in the blood of COVID-19 patients

European database investigates COVID-19 outcomes in patients with kidney failure

T cells can counteract dangerous phenomenon of mosquito-borne viruses

Study offers a deeper understanding of T cell immunity in the elderly

A SARS-CoV-2 antibody magnetic immuno-detection test

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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