immunity News and Research

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Ebola vaccine that provides a year’s worth of protection developed

Liberia’s Ebola outbreak has yielded a successful trial of two vaccines against the deadly infection that could provide protection for up to a year and is also deemed to be safe.

12 Oct 2017

Calcium controls use of glucose by T cells to multiply and battle against infection, study finds

A calcium signal controls whether immune cells can use the nutrients needed to fuel their multiplication into a cellular army designed to fight invading viruses.

11 Oct 2017

Study reveals unique norovirus characteristic of hiding from host immune system

Noroviruses are the leading cause of non-bacterial gastroenteritis in the world and are estimated to cause 267 million infections and 20,000 deaths each year. This virus causes severe diarrhea, nausea, and stomach pain.

11 Oct 2017

Trial reveals value of tuberculosis chemoprophylaxis in HIV-infected people

Long-term follow-up in the ANRS TEMPRANO trial confirms that tuberculosis chemoprophylaxis in HIV-infected people is more than ever relevant in resource-limited countries.

10 Oct 2017

MAIT cells could serve as new biomarkers for early detection, prevention of type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that develops when the immune system attacks beta cells in the pancreas. This destructive process is often attributed to autoreactive T lymphocytes. Yet the innate immune system, our body's first line of defense, also plays an important role in this disease.

10 Oct 2017

High fat diet linked to increased risk of relapse in kids with MS

On the other hand, high vegetable intake may halve the risk of relapse, the findings indicate. Several genetic and environmental factors, including previous infection with Epstein Barr virus, exposure to cigarette smoke, and low vitamin D levels have all been associated with a heightened risk of MS.

9 Oct 2017

Penn study explains how acute viral infections can linger

Infections caused by viruses, such as respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, measles, parainfluenza, and Ebola, are typically considered acute. These viruses cause disease quickly and live within a host for a limited time. But in some cases, the effects of the infection, and presence of the virus itself, can persist.

6 Oct 2017

Ebola vaccine found to be safe and effective for adults and children in Africa

Experts at St George's, University of London, have reported that an Ebola vaccine is safe for children as well as adults and produces an immune response.

6 Oct 2017

Nutrition-related strategies may modify inflammation of aging, report reveals

Aging is characterized by increased levels of inflammatory markers in the bloodstream, a phenomenon that has been termed "inflammaging". This type of enhanced inflammation tone, also designated as low grade inflammation, is associated with age-related decline of many functional systems and with increased risk of sickness, poor well-being and mortality.

6 Oct 2017

Vitamin D supplement can help boost immunity during winter months

Vitamin D is the only supplement worth taking to boost immunity for the coming winter and to help prevent colds, according to experts on ITV’s Save Money: Good Health.

From BetterYou Ltd 6 Oct 2017

Columbia University receives $9.6 million NIH grant for ME/CFS research center

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a five-year $9.6 million grant to the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health to create the Center for Solutions for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CfS for ME/CFS), an inter-disciplinary, inter-institutional research group dedicated to understanding the biology of the disease in order to develop effective means to diagnose, treat and prevent it.

27 Sep 2017

Positive mood on the day of flu jab can increase its protective effect, research finds

New research by a team of health experts at the University of Nottingham has found evidence that being in a positive mood on the day of your flu jab can increase its protective effect.

26 Sep 2017

Hard water may contribute to development of eczema by damaging skin barrier

Researchers from the University of Sheffield and King’s College London have discovered that exposing the skin to hard water damages the skin barrier – which is our defense against outside threats such as bacteria or sun burn – and increases the sensitivity of the skin to potential irritants found in everyday wash products such as soap or washing powder.

22 Sep 2017

Triple-action antibody to be tested as HIV vaccine

Scientists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in collaboration with the pharmaceutical company Sanofi have engineered a three-pronged antibody that protected monkeys from two strains of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) better than the equivalent naturally occurring antibodies.

22 Sep 2017

Global resurgence of whooping cough can be attributed to immunological failures of vaccines

The startling global resurgence of pertussis, or whooping cough, in recent years can largely be attributed to the immunological failures of acellular vaccines, Boston University School of Public Health researchers argue in a new journal article.

21 Sep 2017

New study shows how staph cells evade the body's immune system

For years, medical investigators have tried and failed to develop vaccines for a type of staph bacteria associated with the deadly superbug MRSA. But a new study by Cedars-Sinai investigators shows how staph cells evade the body's immune system, offering a clearer picture of how a successful vaccine would work.

21 Sep 2017

Researchers identify role of tumor-infiltrating B-cells in melanoma progression, resistance to therapy

In a multi-institutional collaborative study, scientists at The Wistar Institute and the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, have identified the role of tumor-infiltrating or tumor-associated B-cells ("TABs") in melanoma progression and resistance to targeted therapy.

20 Sep 2017