immunity News and Research

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Probiotics as adjuvant therapy for COVID-19 patients

In a recent review published in the Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, Luigi Santacroce and Francesco Inchingolo et al. address the many factors such as dysbiosis (imbalance in the microbiota) that could influence the SARS-CoV-2 infection course.

25 Jan 2021

Herd immunity to SARS-CoV-2 may not be achievable with current vaccines

A recent preprint research paper posted on the medRxiv server asks the question: “Is “herd immunity” to COVID-19 a realistic outcome of any immunization program with the two main vaccines currently licensed in the UK?”

25 Jan 2021

Missing surface protein allows small cell lung cancer cells to hide from immune defenses

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cells are missing a surface protein that triggers an immune response, allowing them to hide from one of the body's key cancer defenses, a new study led by UT Southwestern researchers suggests.

25 Jan 2021

Combining anti-tumor antibodies with standard-of-care improves therapeutic outcomes in cancer

The cover for issue 2 of Oncotarget features Figure 4, "Combination therapy TA99/ICB reduced the lung tumor burden in the B16 model of metastases," published in "Improved therapeutic efficacy of unmodified anti-tumor antibodies by immune checkpoint blockade and kinase targeted therapy in mouse models of melanoma" by Pérez-Lorenzo, et al. which reported that here, the authors showed that removing immune suppression and enhancing stimulatory signals increased the anti-tumor activity of unmodified TA99 antibodies with a significant reduction of growth of solid tumors and lung metastases in mouse models of melanoma.

25 Jan 2021

Novel neutralizing antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2 N-terminal domain discovered

A new study by US-based researchers shows the presence of protective antibodies that target the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the spike instead of the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD).

22 Jan 2021

Accurate quantitative COVID-19 antibody test kit by EKF

EKF Diagnostics, the global in vitro diagnostics company, announces that it has introduced one of the first tests to precisely measure levels of COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies in individuals.

From EKF Diagnostics 22 Jan 2021

People with severe COVID-19 cases may have more protective "memory" T cells

A big question on people's minds these days: how long does immunity to SARS-CoV-2 last following infection?

22 Jan 2021

Trial results support efficacy of incentivizing vaccine adherence

As the United States struggles to control record-breaking increases in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations, the roll-out of two approved vaccines offers tremendous hope for saving lives and curbing the pandemic.

22 Jan 2021

Prioritizing older adults for COVID-19 vaccination will save more lives

Vaccinating older adults for COVID-19 first will save substantially more U.S. lives than prioritizing other age groups, and the slower the vaccine rollout and more widespread the virus, the more critical it is to bring them to the front of the line.

21 Jan 2021

New model shows key role of innate immunity in controlling COVID-19 viral load

Since SARS-CoV-2 was identified in December 2019, researchers have worked feverishly to study the novel coronavirus. Although much knowledge has been gained, scientists still have a lot to learn about how SARS-CoV-2 interacts with the human body, and how the immune system fights it.

21 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 suppresses host innate immunity

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, blocks the processes of innate immune activation that normally direct the production and/or signaling of type I interferon (IFN-I) by the infected cell and tissues.

21 Jan 2021

Vitamin D deficiency associated with higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization

A new study published shows that low levels of vitamin D are associated with a higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization.

21 Jan 2021

High factor V levels linked to lymphopenia and weakened immunity in severe COVID-19

A new study suggests that factor V, a coagulation factor, is upregulated in a range of white blood cells in severe COVID-19. This increase is linked to the observed coagulopathy, lymphopenia and suppression of adaptive immunity in such patients.

21 Jan 2021

South African SARS-CoV-2 variant escapes antibody neutralization

Researchers in South Africa have conducted a study showing that the novel 501Y.V2 variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that has emerged in the country is able to escape the neutralizing antibodies that are elicited by previously circulating strains of the virus.

20 Jan 2021

New multidisciplinary center to study origin and course of infectious diseases

The University of Bern is establishing a multidisciplinary center to study the origin and course of infectious diseases and their impact on health, society and economics. The new research center is to receive some 30 million Swiss Francs financial support from the Vinetum Foundation over a period of 10 years.

20 Jan 2021

Researchers develop new method for charting SARS-CoV-2 spike protein glycosylation

Researchers develop a novel, simple and affordable method for N-glycan fingerprinting based on enzymatic fluorescent glycan labeling and electrophoresis. This new method may help us understand important changes in glycosylation in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein – something which could inform future therapeutic research.

20 Jan 2021

Immune systems of COVID-19 patients may rely on antibodies from earlier coronaviruses

The results of a study led by Northern Arizona University and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope, suggest the immune systems of people infected with COVID-19 may rely on antibodies created during infections from earlier coronaviruses to help fight the disease.

20 Jan 2021