Receptor News and Research

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New approach to cancer immunotherapy may prevent autoimmunity

A team of researchers has found disrupting the interaction between cancer cells and certain immune cells is more effective at killing cancer cells than current immunotherapy treatments.

19 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 spike stimulates hyperinflammation via Toll-like receptor 2

A new study, released on the bioRxiv* preprint server, describes the mechanism of inflammation in severe COVID-19, besides revealing a potential new therapeutic target to modulate the severity of COVID-19.

19 Mar 2021

N-terminal domain antibodies play a key role in COVID immunity

Scientists are learning that a lesser-studied region on the pandemic coronavirus is recognized by COVID-19 infection-fighting antibodies. These antibodies were identified in blood samples from previously infected patients, and were found to potently prevent the virus from infecting cells.

19 Mar 2021

Study shows how ACE2 mutations influence SARS-CoV-2 spike binding in humans and animals

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison aimed to better understand how SARS-CoV-2 interacts with various mammalian angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors. This way, they can identify the factors that influence intra- and cross-species virus transmission.

18 Mar 2021

Engineering immunogens to focus immune response to SARS-CoV-2

Researchers have designed constructs by adding more glycans and adding the receptor-binding motif from related sarbecoviruses to focus the immune response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receptor-binding motif. Such immunogens could potentially also neutralize other variants and coronaviruses.

18 Mar 2021

Study explores how CAR T immunotherapy could be used to treat solid tumors

A study recently published in the journal Science looked into how CAR T immunotherapy could be used to treat solid tumors in addition to leukemias. The programming of CAR T cells opens avenues for applying cell therapies to, for example, breast cancer or ovarian cancer in the future.

18 Mar 2021

A modified protein mediates development of lung fibrosis after cadmium/carbon black exposure

The triggers and causes of a severe scarring disease of the lungs -- idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF -- remain unclear.

18 Mar 2021

Researchers identify inflammatory mechanism related to bone damage in rheumatoid arthritis

In a study aimed at investigating the mechanism responsible for exacerbating rheumatoid arthritis in smokers, researchers at the Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases, linked to the University of São Paulo in Brazil, discovered a novel path in the inflammatory process associated with the bone damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis.

18 Mar 2021

Novel cancer-fighting gene therapy enters phase I clinical trial

Researchers from the MDC and Charité have developed a new gene therapy based around a special T-cell receptor that helps the immune system effectively recognize and fight cancer cells.

18 Mar 2021

Scientists explore structure of SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain with G485R mutation

Researchers at the Bio21 Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, The University of Melbourne, studied the structure of a SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) with a G485R mutation. This mutation is a residue and not directly involved in interactions with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) residues but found in the Β1´/Β2' loop region.

18 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variants with E484K mutation show mRNA vaccine-induced antibody evasion

A recent study found that the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine had limited efficacy in identifying mutated receptor-binding domains (RBDs) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein similar to the B.1.351 and P.1 variants.

18 Mar 2021

How resistant is the SARS-CoV-2 Brazilian variant to antibodies?

Researchers based at the University of Oxford, UK, have shown that the P.1 Brazilian variant of SARS-CoV-2 is less resistant to natural or vaccine acquired antibody responses than the B.1.351, South African, variant, despite sharing convergent mutations.

18 Mar 2021

Could cinnamon modulate the immune response in severe COVID-19?

A new study describes the potential for two common plant products to make a difference in the management of severe COVID-19.

18 Mar 2021

New way to enhance treatment outcomes for breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide and the second most common cancer overall. Although it can now be treated with drugs, many of these drugs mysteriously stop working after some time, causing a relapse.

18 Mar 2021

Gene expression of viral entry factors may explain the differences of COVID-19 severity

A new study uncovers which cell types can be infected by SARS-CoV-2 due to their viral entry factors. The study also suggests that increased gene expression of these viral entry factors in some individuals partially explains the differences of COVID-19 severity reported in relation to age, gender and smoking status.

18 Mar 2021