Immune System News and Research

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Mapping immune landscape of hematological malignancies may help improve cancer therapies

Activating the immune system of the body is a promising form of treatment for cancer. Researchers at the University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital as well as the University of Eastern Finland mapped out the immune landscape of hematological malignancies in a dataset covering more than 10,000 patients to identify drug targets and patient groups which could potentially benefit from immunotherapies.

9 Jul 2020

Overzealous guardians in the cells could increase cancer risk

Researchers at the UiO and OUS have discovered how destructive changes occur in our genome. This could lead to cancer. Their results have been published in the journal Nature Cell Biology.

9 Jul 2020

Bats offer clues to combat COVID-19

Bats are often considered patient zero for many deadly viruses affecting humans, including Ebola, rabies, and, most recently, the SARS-CoV-2 strain of virus that causes coronavirus.

9 Jul 2020

Breast cancer cells can reprogram natural killer cells to aid in metastasis

Natural killer cells, a type of immune cell, are known to limit metastasis by inducing the death of cancer cells. But metastases still form in patients, so there must be ways for cancer cells to escape.

9 Jul 2020

PRMT5 inhibitors can help treat advanced melanoma

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have demonstrated the therapeutic potential of PRMT5 inhibitors to sensitize unresponsive melanoma to immune checkpoint therapy.

9 Jul 2020

New research can help overcome challenges in diabetes research

Scientists focused on finding better treatments or cures for types 1 or 2 diabetes are painfully aware of current limitations, including having to use animal tissue in studies that often don't translate to human trials.

9 Jul 2020

Blocking tumor-promoting protein could bolster immunotherapy's effectiveness, study suggests

While immunotherapy -- a form of treatment that uses the body's immune system to recognize, attack and kill tumor cells -- has given hope to people across the globe, it fails in a significant proportion of cancer patients.

8 Jul 2020

Lung physiology and immune function could spare children from severe COVID-19

Differences in lung physiology and immune function in children could be why they are more often spared from severe illness associated with COVID-19 than adults, according to pediatric and adult physicians at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Baylor College of Medicine, who teamed up to investigate the disparity.

8 Jul 2020

UC Santa Cruz- led research center focuses on botanical natural products

Although millions of people take plant-based dietary supplements or herbal medicines, understanding the effects of these natural products on human health has proven to be extremely challenging.

8 Jul 2020

Fred Hutch joins new clinical trials network to fight COVID-19

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has been named the coordinating center for vaccine clinical trials of the COVID-19 Prevention Network.

8 Jul 2020

Scientists introduce a new approach for immunological tumor treatment

Our immune system ought to be able to recognize and kill tumor cells. However, many tumors deceive the immune system.

8 Jul 2020

Study reveals how overactive immune cells aggravate heart valve disease

A new study using organ-on-a-chip technology reveals how overactive immune cells aggravate heart valve disease and how this damaging hyperactivity could potentially be controlled.

8 Jul 2020

Study: Cellular therapy can improve critical cases of COVID-19

A cellular therapy tested on 13 intubated patients with mechanical ventilation has shown to be efficient for the clinical improvement of critical cases of COVID-19.

8 Jul 2020

World's first clinical trial of immune-boosting strategy to protect cancer patients from COVID-19

In the race to find new ways to prevent and treat COVID-19, Canadian researchers have launched an innovative clinical trial focussed on strengthening the immune system for one of the most vulnerable populations - cancer patients.

8 Jul 2020

No-biopsy diagnosis for adults with suspected celiac disease could cut long NHS waiting lists

The British Society of Gastroenterology has issued interim guidance, pending the publication of its new Coeliac Guidelines in 2021, so that some adults with suspected coeliac disease can now be diagnosed based on blood test results alone, cutting out the long wait for an endoscopy with biopsy.

8 Jul 2020

Research shows probiotics can help combat anxiety and depression

Previous research has tied mental health issues and developmental disorders to gut health. Now, a team of British scientists has shown that foods that broaden the profile of helpful bacteria in the gut, which are collectively known as probiotics, can help ease anxiety and depression.

7 Jul 2020

Scientists engineer natural killer cells that target tumors and their immunosuppressive allies

Scientists have engineered natural killer immune cells that not only kill head and neck tumor cells in mice but also reduce the immune-suppressing myeloid cells that allow tumors to evade the immune response, according to a new study in eLife.

7 Jul 2020

Risk of severe COVID-19 in ~50 kb genomic segment inherited from Neanderthals

Researchers have found that a small fragment of the genetic code that has been inherited by modern humans from Neanderthals could carry the secret of why some people succumb to a severe form of COVID-19 requiring hospitalization, while others recover.

7 Jul 2020

$5 million gift aims to propel Lyme disease research and education

To the Fairbairns, the symptoms--debilitating fatigue, joint pain, cognitive problems--were as worrisome as they were mystifying. All four members of the family had them.

6 Jul 2020

'Night owl' teens more likely to develop asthma and allergies

Teenagers who prefer to stay up late at night and sleep in late the next day are more likely to develop asthma and allergies than their "early bird" counterparts, according to new research published today.

6 Jul 2020