immunity News and Research

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Vitamin D supplements in pregnancy could help protect children against asthma

A new study published today in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology has found that taking Vitamin D supplements in pregnancy can positively modify the immune system of the newborn baby, which could help to protect against asthma and respiratory infections, a known risk factor for developing asthma in childhood.

26 May 2017

Innate genetic advantage contributes to better outcomes in newborn infant girls than boys, research shows

Newborn infant girls have better outcomes than their male counterparts due to an innate genetic advantage in responding to acute infections, according to new research from RCSI.

26 May 2017

Chikungunya, dengue, and Zika viruses: three viruses in one mosquito

The study published in Nature Communications on May 19 found that Aedes aegypti, the primary mosquito that carries the Zika virus, might also transmit chikungunya and dengue viruses with one bite.

22 May 2017

Study findings shed new light on coinfection with chikungunya, dengue or Zika viruses

A new study led by Colorado State University researchers found that Aedes aegypti, the primary mosquito that carries Zika virus, might also transmit chikungunya and dengue viruses with one bite.

19 May 2017

Biochemical self-destruct trigger guards brain cells when fighting against West Nile virus

In a turnabout, a biochemical self-destruct trigger found in many other types of cells appears to guard the lives of brain cells during an infection with West Nile virus.

18 May 2017

Recovery from bacterial pneumonia changes the infected lung cells, study shows

When people develop a respiratory infection, recovery from their illness leaves behind an immunological memory that influences how they will respond to later infections.

17 May 2017

Experimental gene therapy proven safe for preserving vision of people with AMD

In a small and preliminary clinical trial, Johns Hopkins researchers and their collaborators have shown that an experimental gene therapy that uses viruses to introduce a therapeutic gene into the eye is safe and that it may be effective in preserving the vision of people with wet age-related macular degeneration.

17 May 2017

Researchers identify many dangerous strains of TB pathogens

Researchers from the Vavilov Institute of General Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (VIGG) and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology have established a catalog of mutations in 319 virulence genes of mycobacteria that cause tuberculosis.

16 May 2017

Scientists discover free C3d protein that mitigates tumor-induced immunosuppression

In the body, anti-cancer immunity is immobilized by stealth cancer forces. But a natural de-immobilizer has been identified - and it has a vendetta.

12 May 2017

Mothers infected with malaria during pregnancy can alter infants’ immunity

Mothers infected with malaria during pregnancy can pass more of their own cells to their baby and change the infant's risk of later infection, a new study shows.

9 May 2017

Dendritic cells develop from specialized progenitors, research shows

Dendritic cells are gatekeepers of Immunity and are crucial for the detection and initiation of Immunity against pathogens and foreign substances. Up to now dendritic cell subtypes were thought to develop from one common progenitor.

5 May 2017

Researchers discover new defense mechanism against bacteria during wound healing

Researchers in dermatology at Lund University in Sweden believe they have cracked the mystery of why we are able to quickly prevent an infection from spreading uncontrollably in the body during wounding. They believe this knowledge may be of clinical significance for developing new ways to counteract bacteria.

5 May 2017

Study shows how probiotic improves integrity of the GI epithelial cell wall in HIV patients

A newly released study published in the Journal of Immunity, Inflammation and Disease and conducted by the Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, found a multi-strain, high concentration, probiotic formulation that helped reconstitute the physical and immunological integrity of the gastrointestinal lining in HIV-1-positive patients on antiretroviral therapy.

3 May 2017

Novel strategy may improve survival of grafts, outcomes in high-risk corneal transplant patients

Treating donor corneas with a cocktail of molecules prior to transplanting to a host may improve survival of grafts and, thus, outcomes in high-risk corneal transplant patients, according to a new study led by researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear.

2 May 2017

Researchers show resident T cells in the skin depend on CD103 molecule for their anti-tumor function

The molecule CD103 is key to the long-term residence of T cells in the skin and to their anti-tumor function, report a team of researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center In the April 14, 2017, Science Immunology.

28 Apr 2017

Marijuana use among pregnant women linked to low birth weight infants

In a new study, researchers in London, Ontario found that women who used marijuana while pregnant were almost three times more likely to have an infant with low birth weight than women who did not use marijuana.

27 Apr 2017

Abnormal levels of specific gut bacteria linked to chronic fatigue syndrome

Scientists at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health have discovered abnormal levels of specific gut bacteria related to chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis, or ME/CFS, in patients with and without concurrent irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS.

26 Apr 2017

UTSW researchers develop new nanoparticle vaccine immunotherapy that targets multiple tumor types

Researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center have developed a first-of-its-kind nanoparticle vaccine immunotherapy that targets several different cancer types.

24 Apr 2017

Research findings pave way for more efficient, protective influenza vaccines

New findings challenge the traditional policy of replacing old strains in existing human influenza vaccines with recent variants with only minimal changes.

21 Apr 2017

New test identifies increased prevalence of tick-borne pathogen in Suffolk County

Scientists at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health report elevated levels of a pathogen responsible for the tick-borne disease babesiosis in Suffolk County, New York, where rates are the highest in the state. Results are published in the journal mSphere.

20 Apr 2017