Immune Response News and Research

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USC study shows how tumor cells circulating in the blood target distant organs

Most cancers kill because tumor cells spread beyond the primary site to invade other organs. Now, a USC study of brain-invading breast cancer cells circulating in the blood reveals they have a molecular signature indicating specific organ preferences.

22 Oct 2019

New treatment shows promise to reverse celiac disease

Results of a new phase 2 clinical trial using technology developed at Northwestern Medicine show it is possible to induce immune tolerance to gluten in individuals with celiac disease. The findings may pave the way for treated celiac patients to eventually tolerate gluten in their diet.

22 Oct 2019

Patients with diabetes may have worse lung infections

People with diabetes are at a higher risk of various complications, including worse respiratory diseases. One of the most dreaded lung diseases is the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which emerged in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

21 Oct 2019

Research shows brain's immune system gets activated by stress during pregnancy

Chronic stress during pregnancy triggers an immune response in the brain that has potential to alter brain functions in ways that could contribute to postpartum depression, new research in animals suggests.

21 Oct 2019

Neutrophil extracellular traps could cause organ damage in malaria

Malaria is one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases: a small mosquito bite delivers numerous malaria parasites into the bloodstream. The human body defends itself valiantly against the parasite, which usually results in periodic flu-like symptoms and severe fever. Severe cases of the disease are accompanied by tissue damage and result in potentially fatal organ failure.

21 Oct 2019

Newly established Precision Immunotherapy Clinic matches cancer patients to latest treatments

A third occurrence of colon cancer and a failed immunotherapy clinical trial left Gordon Levine confined to a wheelchair with large tumors in his right hip bone, spine and lung, plus smaller tumors throughout his body, including one that caused an obstruction in his colon.

17 Oct 2019

Scientists report evidence of immune response targeting brain cells in autism

Autism spectrum disorders affect one in 59 American children by age eight. With no known quantitative biological features, autism diagnoses are currently based on expert assessments of behavioral symptoms, including impaired social skills and communication, repetitive behaviors and restricted interests.

17 Oct 2019

Wistar receives major NIH grant to advance research on new melanoma targeted therapies

The Wistar Institute and collaborating institutions have received a major grant from the National Institutes of Health to further research on new melanoma targeted therapies integrating the role of the tumor microenvironment in influencing response to therapy and development of resistance.

17 Oct 2019

Kids with celiac disease and allergic inflammatory disorder may not need to remove soy from their diets

Children who have both celiac disease and an associated allergic inflammatory disorder may not need to permanently remove soy from their diets to reduce scarring in the esophagus, according to new research from the University of Chicago Medicine.

16 Oct 2019

Study: Genetic differences in the immune system shape bacteria that colonize the digestive system

Genetic differences in the immune system shape the collections of bacteria that colonize the digestive system, according to new research by scientists at the University of Chicago.

16 Oct 2019

Inactive receptor prevents cancer drugs from reactivating the immune system

The aim of immunotherapies is to enable the immune system once again to fight cancer on its own. Drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors are already in clinical use for this purpose.

15 Oct 2019

Koalas protect their germline cells against retroviral attack

In a new study published in the journal Cell, scientists have found that koala DNA is protected against attack by retroviruses by a special type of immune response, which distinguishes foreign DNA from the host genome and destroys it before it can proliferate. This finding could help us understand both how koalas survive these infections, and the mechanics of adaptive gene change.

15 Oct 2019

New class of drugs could prevent cancer from becoming resistant to treatment

Scientists at Massey University in New Zealand have taken the first step towards a new class of drug that could stop cancer from becoming resistant to treatment. Treatment resistance is a serious problem to the successful treatment of cancer patients because it leads to cancer returning and becoming harder to treat.

15 Oct 2019

A protein could play key role in neurodegenerative diseases, research suggests

Research led by Queen Mary University of London and the University of Seville around one protein's role in regulating brain inflammation could improve our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases.

15 Oct 2019

Scientists develop more accurate method to find good targets for cancer immunotherapy

Ludwig Cancer Research scientists have developed a new and more accurate method to identify the molecular signs of cancer likely to be presented to helper T cells, which stimulate and orchestrate the immune response to tumors and infectious agents.

15 Oct 2019

Discovery could lead to new therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases

Research led by Drs. Miguel Burguillos (University of Seville, Spain) and Miguel Branco (Queen Mary University of London, UK), has revealed new findings about mechanisms regulating brain inflammation which open a new pathway in the field of neuroinflammation.

15 Oct 2019