Immunodeficiency News and Research

RSS

Immunodeficiency (or immune deficiency) is a state in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious disease is compromised or entirely absent.

Nasal delivery of single-domain antibodies improves SARS-CoV-2 symptoms in animal model

In a recent study published in the journal PLOS Pathogens, scientists showed that nasal administration of a single-domain antibody (VHH), named K-874A, brought about inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 titers in infected lungs of Syrian hamsters.

19 Oct 2021

Researchers report long-lasting effects of gene therapy in children with deadly immune disorder

Over a decade ago, UCLA physician-scientists began using a pioneering gene therapy they developed to treat children born with a rare and deadly immune system disorder.

18 Oct 2021

Metabolic restoration as a therapeutic approach to promote natural immune protection against HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) particularly attacks CD4 lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell considered to be the conductor of the immune system.

15 Oct 2021

New high-throughput assay could help development of anti-COVID-19 drugs

In a recent study, researchers develop a new high-throughput assay that allows for rapid screening of potential inhibitors.

13 Oct 2021

Drug developed at Duke is approved by FDA as only therapy for congenital athymia

The phone rang into the pediatric unit that Louise Markert, M.D., Ph.D., was staffing as a junior faculty member in 1991. Had she not answered, there would have been little hope for the more than one hundred patients who were subsequently treated.

11 Oct 2021

Lipids, COVID-19, and host immunity

A new study from a team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania examines the role played by lipids in this disease.

10 Oct 2021

Research on twins indicates strong genetic influences in COVID-19

A new study discusses the strong possibility of multifactorial causation for SARS-CoV-2 infection using data from twin studies.

6 Oct 2021

AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine safe and effective in phase 3 U.S., Chile, and Peru trial

A new study reports on the results of phase III clinical trial on the safety and efficacy of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine.

5 Oct 2021

Humoral responses to SARS-CoV-2 are detectable through saliva, scientists find

Your saliva may be able to tell you if you’ve developed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies, suggests a new medRxiv* preprint study. In immunocompromised groups, salivary Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody levels were associated with IgG titers in blood serum 3 to 4 weeks after mRNA vaccination.

5 Oct 2021

Chronic COVID-19 and divergent variants of SARS-CoV-2

A new study discusses the isolation of two variants of concern (VOCs) from an immunocompromised COVID-19 patient.

27 Sep 2021

Factors predicting vaccine hesitancy in India

A recent study discusses vaccine hesitancy in India, which is one of the most populous countries in the world.

26 Sep 2021

Johns Hopkins Medicine mathematical model to play major role in ending HIV nationwide

A new Johns Hopkins Medicine mathematical model to predict how the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) spreads in urban areas will play a major role in a federal initiative aiming to reduce the incidence of HIV infections in the United States by 90% between 2020 and 2030.

24 Sep 2021

Temple research paves the way for first Phase 1/2 clinical trials of CRISPR-based therapy for HIV

For the last seven years, researchers at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University have been developing and refining CRISPR-based gene-editing technology for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) infection.

17 Sep 2021

mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine safe in immunocompromised patients

The clinical trial showed that about 72.2% of immunocompromised patients had detectable antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.

14 Sep 2021

Does SARS-CoV-2 contamination in operating and birthing room settings pose risks for health care workers?

A new study assesses the risk of contamination in the operating room and birthing suite environment.

13 Sep 2021

Are bat retroviruses a threat to humans?

Zoonotic viruses that bats transmit are capable of infecting humans and have caused devastating infections throughout the world.

9 Sep 2021

People living with HIV have higher risk of sudden cardiac death, finds study

People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have a higher risk of sudden cardiac death than people who do not have HIV, especially if the virus is not well-controlled or if they have other heart disease risk factors.

8 Sep 2021

Modified R-CODOX-M/IVAC regimen shows promise for treating sporadic Burkitt lymphoma

Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is a highly aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) that comes in three different variants: endemic, immunodeficiency-associated, and sporadic. Of these variants, sporadic BL is most commonly found outside malaria-endemic countries and typically seen in young adults.

1 Sep 2021

The tale of mRNA vaccines: Turning calamity into opportunity

In a review paper published in the journal Nature Reviews, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pennsylvania have described the underlying technologies for mRNA vaccines and their future prospects with improved delivery systems and applications in diseases beyond the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

31 Aug 2021

Recognizing viral genomes in quick, ‘CRISP’ ways

Researchers from China recently reviewed the latest advancements, applications, and prospects of virus detection using CRISPR-Cas systems.

27 Aug 2021