Immune System News and Research

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Rotavirus infection mainly affects children under 5 years of age

A research team from the University of Valencia has carried out a study of infection and immunity markers by detecting antibodies in the blood of 7 different genotypes of the rotavirus VP8 protein, the virus that causes infectious diarrhoea, and concludes that more frequent types mainly affect the child population.

14 May 2020

Variations in genome’s 'dark matter' region can make patients susceptible to inflammatory diseases

A study led by researchers at the Babraham Institute in collaboration with the Wellcome Sanger Institute has uncovered how variations in a non-protein coding 'dark matter' region of the genome could make patients susceptible to complex autoimmune and allergic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease.

14 May 2020

Study finds no evidence of COVID-19 virus transmitting from cats to humans

Three cats infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 spread the virus to three other cats in a lab study published in The New England Journal of Medicine by a research team working in Tokyo, Japan, and Wisconsin, USA.

14 May 2020

Low albumin levels could predict poor outcome in COVID-19

A Spanish study has revealed that COVID-19 patients who have a low level of albumin have a poorer outcome compared to those with normal levels of blood albumin. The study titled, “Low albumin levels are associated with poorer outcomes in a case series of COVID-19 patients in Spain: a retrospective cohort study,” was released prior to peer-review on the open-access preprint server site Medrxiv*.

13 May 2020

New treatment improves survival for people with common liver cancer

For the first time in over a decade, scientists have identified a first-line treatment that significantly improves survival for people with hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer.

13 May 2020

U of A researchers and Tonix Pharmaceuticals join forces to develop, test COVID-19 vaccine

University of Alberta researchers launched a joint effort with U.S.-based Tonix Pharmaceuticals to develop and test a vaccine against COVID-19.

13 May 2020

Study refutes link between anti-hormonal breast cancer therapy and rheumatoid arthritis risk

Breast cancer patients do not have an increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. A Swedish cohort study has now come to this conclusion.

13 May 2020

New weight loss amphetamine could potentially avoid harmful side effects

Despite being officially declared a chronic disease there are very few long-lasting and cost-effective treatments for obesity. Amphetamines are one of the few and they reportedly act in the brain to reduce appetite and increase locomotion or stamina.

13 May 2020

Scientists discover how the iron chelator drives immune system to deal with TB

Although COVID-19 commands the headlines today, tuberculosis (TB) remains the biggest infection killer in the world and multiple drug resistant TB, which does not respond to regular antibiotics, continues to be a major threat to global health.

13 May 2020

Harnessing the formation of natural killer–tumor cell immunological synapse to treat solid cancers

There are immune cells in our bodies that directly destroy infected or cancer cells - they are called natural killer cells. Recently, a POSTECH research team has developed an integrative cancer therapy using adoptive natural killer cell therapy and chemotherapy.

13 May 2020

Researchers urge Ireland government to change recommendations for vitamin D supplements

A new publication from Dr Eamon Laird and Professor Rose Anne Kenny, School of Medicine, and the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), in collaboration with Professor Jon Rhodes at University of Liverpool, highlights the association between vitamin D levels and mortality from COVID-19.

13 May 2020

Study shows why older individuals are vulnerable to COVID-19

A group of tiny RNA that should attack the virus causing COVID-19 when it tries to infect the body are diminished with age and chronic health problems, a decrease that likely helps explain why older individuals and those with preexisting medical conditions are vulnerable populations, investigators report.

13 May 2020

Experts review symptoms, diagnosis, and current treatment of COVID-19

The ongoing economic and social impact of the pandemic is staggering, but despite a daily flood of news on the disease, few laypeople know that paradoxically, COVID-19 mostly kills through an overreaction of the immune system, whose function is precisely to fight infections.

13 May 2020

Vaccine design can face specific challenges, say researchers

The goal of a vaccine is to trigger a response that safely protects against an infection and/or the burden of disease.

13 May 2020

Study explores whether senicapoc drug can mitigate lung damage in COVID-19 patients

Scientists around the globe are working to identify approved and investigational drugs that can be repurposed to treat COVID-19.

13 May 2020

New study to evaluate drug combination treatment for uveitis

Two in 10,000 people are at risk of serious sight loss from a form of eye inflammation known as uveitis. A new clinical research study, led by the University of Bristol and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW), will evaluate a drug combination treatment for the eye disease thanks to funding of £2.5 million by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

13 May 2020

Researchers launch clinical trial to test the efficacy of antidepressant against COVID-19

An antidepressant medication is being tested as a potential treatment for COVID-19 after University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers determined it may prevent dangerous overreactions by the immune system.

13 May 2020

Research examines molecules derived from ticks as potential COVID-19 treatment option

UK-based biotechnology firm ILC Therapeutics is working alongside the University of Oxford to examine the use of Evasins – molecules derived from ticks – as a potential COVID-19 treatment option for patients whose lungs are badly damaged by the virus and face a critical juncture in recovery.

13 May 2020

Analysis of single-cell data indicates that SARS-Cov-2 targets many cell types

Before it can sicken people, the new coronavirus must first sneak into their cells. But not any cell will do. The virus can enter only those with a certain combination of molecules on their surfaces.

13 May 2020

Innovative approach turns 'cold' tumors 'hot' to improve cancer immunotherapy

Scientists from the Tumor Immunotherapy and Microenvironment research group led by Dr Bassam Janji at the Luxembourg Institute of Health Department of Oncology, and the Swedish pharma company Sprint Bioscience published the results of an innovative approach that turns “cold” tumors “hot”. “Cold”, immune-desert tumors are classically immunotherapy-resistant.

13 May 2020

Immune System News and Research

Rotavirus infection mainly affects children under 5 years of age

Variations in genome’s 'dark matter' region can make patients susceptible to inflammatory diseases

Study finds no evidence of COVID-19 virus transmitting from cats to humans

Low albumin levels could predict poor outcome in COVID-19

New treatment improves survival for people with common liver cancer

U of A researchers and Tonix Pharmaceuticals join forces to develop, test COVID-19 vaccine

Study refutes link between anti-hormonal breast cancer therapy and rheumatoid arthritis risk

New weight loss amphetamine could potentially avoid harmful side effects

Scientists discover how the iron chelator drives immune system to deal with TB

Harnessing the formation of natural killer–tumor cell immunological synapse to treat solid cancers

Researchers urge Ireland government to change recommendations for vitamin D supplements

Study shows why older individuals are vulnerable to COVID-19

Experts review symptoms, diagnosis, and current treatment of COVID-19

Vaccine design can face specific challenges, say researchers

Study explores whether senicapoc drug can mitigate lung damage in COVID-19 patients

New study to evaluate drug combination treatment for uveitis

Researchers launch clinical trial to test the efficacy of antidepressant against COVID-19

Research examines molecules derived from ticks as potential COVID-19 treatment option

Analysis of single-cell data indicates that SARS-Cov-2 targets many cell types

Innovative approach turns 'cold' tumors 'hot' to improve cancer immunotherapy

Understanding the DNA Damage Response in Innate Immunity eBook

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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