Immune Response News and Research

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Angiotensin receptor blockers could improve response to cancer immunotherapy

A research team led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has found that combining a specialized version of an antihypertension drug with immune checkpoint blockers could increase the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies.

30 Apr 2019

Study describes new viral molecular evasion mechanism used by cytomegalovirus

A study published in the journal PLOS Pathogens describes a new viral molecular evasion mechanism used by cytomegalovirus to interfere in the immune response of the infected host.

30 Apr 2019

Measuring biomarkers in blood may help pinpoint newborns with HIE

Measuring a number of biomarkers over time that are produced as the body responds to inflammation and injury may help to pinpoint newborns who are more vulnerable to suffering lasting brain injury due to disrupted oxygen delivery and blood flow, according to research presented during the Pediatric Academic Societies 2019 Annual Meeting.

27 Apr 2019

TET proteins help regulate gene activity vital for normal antibody production

A family of cancer suppressive proteins, known as TET proteins, help regulate gene activity via their influence on chromosomal architecture. However, until now it wasn't entirely clear how genes were activated by TET proteins to make sure that cells perform their normal functions efficiently.

27 Apr 2019

CircRNAs bind to dsRNA-activated protein kinase which is linked to innate immunity

Covalently closed circular RNAs are produced by precursor mRNA back-splicing the exons of thousands of genes in eukaryotes.

26 Apr 2019

Dermcidin in human sweat may contribute to pathogenesis of hidradenitis suppurativa

Dermcidin, an anti-microbial peptide normally found in human sweat, may play a role in the pathogenesis of this chronic skin disease hidradenitis suppurativa, according to a research team from the George Washington University.

26 Apr 2019

New chemical synthesis strategy leads to identification of novel, simpler derivatives

A new chemical synthesis strategy to harvest the rich information found in natural products -- organic compounds isolated from natural sources -- has led to the identification of novel, simpler derivatives with potential to selectively protect neurons, important for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease, or to prevent the immune system from rejecting organ transplants, according to a Baylor University-led study.

25 Apr 2019

Pregnant women with type 1 diabetes are at greater risk of preterm birth

Pregnant women with type 1 diabetes are at increased risk of delivering their baby prematurely. The risk increases as blood sugar levels rise, however women who maintain the recommended levels also risk giving birth prematurely.

23 Apr 2019

Study shows how elderberry fruit can help fight against influenza

Folk medicines and herbal products have been used for millennia to combat a whole range of ailments, at times to the chagrin of modern scientists who have struggled to explain their medicinal benefits.

23 Apr 2019

UVA researchers shed light on why C. difficile infections are so dangerous

A new discovery about dangerous C. difficile diarrhea has identified a new way that the bacteria – and possibly others like it – cause severe disease.

23 Apr 2019

Study provides new insights into regulatory T cells' role in protecting against autoimmune disease

An international study led from Karolinska Institutet provides new insights into the regulatory T cells' role in protecting against autoimmune disease.

23 Apr 2019

UAB receives $17 million grant to explore immune cells in inaccessible tissues of the human body

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers will receive $17.8 million in federal funding to attack a key "knowledge gap" in human immunology -- how the B cells and antibody-secreting cells that reside in tissues and organs differ from those found in blood.

23 Apr 2019

Microglia play vital role in regulating neuroinflammation, research shows

A research team at Massachusetts Eye and Ear has shown that microglia, the primary immune cells of the central nervous system--including the retina of the eye--serve as "gatekeepers," or biosensors and facilitators, of neuroinflammation in a preclinical model of autoimmune uveitis.

23 Apr 2019

Reviving the heart's regenerative capacities using microRNAs

Once the heart is fully formed, the cells that make up heart muscle, known as cardiomyocytes, have very limited ability to reproduce themselves. After a heart attack, cardiomyocytes die off; unable to make new ones, the heart instead forms scar tissue. Over time, this can set people up for heart failure.

23 Apr 2019

Researchers discover why women get autoimmune diseases far more often than men

It's one of the great mysteries of medicine, and one that affects the lives of millions of people: Why do women's immune systems gang up on them far more than men's do, causing nine times more women to develop autoimmune diseases such as lupus?

22 Apr 2019

Innate immune sensor responding to gut microbes can suppress liver cancer

UT Southwestern researchers have found that a protein in the body's innate immune system that responds to gut microbes can suppress the most common type of liver cancer.

17 Apr 2019

Particle-depleted diesel exhaust may worsen allergy-induced lung impairment

Air pollution from diesel engines may worsen allergy-induced lung impairment more when tiny particles are filtered from the exhaust than when they are not, according to new research published online in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

12 Apr 2019