Immune System News and Research

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EPFL scientists identify new therapeutic target for Non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a group of cancers that originate in the lymph nodes and affect white blood cells of the immune system called B cells.

23 Apr 2020

Study identifies key nose cells as likely COVID-19 virus entry points

Two specific cell types in the nose have been identified as likely initial infection points for COVID-19 coronavirus. Scientists discovered that goblet and ciliated cells in the nose have high levels of the entry proteins that the COVID-19 virus uses to get into our cells.

23 Apr 2020

Genomic sequencing shows COVID-19 spread patterns

Throughout the spread of the virus, genomic sequencing has played a role in epidemiologic tracking of the viral strains carried all over the world. Such strains are traced back to their origin by their unique mutations and help to link remote infections.

22 Apr 2020

Using 'own' immune cells to fight infectious diseases including COVID-19

A provocative paper from Duke-NUS Medical School, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine in March 2020, discusses the possibilities of creating new receptors on a sick person's own immune cells as a means of controlling the infection. This therapy is already being used to treat certain cancers with marked success.

22 Apr 2020

Hyperferritinemia associated with increased illness severity in COVID-19

Yehuda Shoenfeld is the world's leading expert in the research, treatment and prevention of autoimmune diseases.

22 Apr 2020

Study creates a new platform to study single-cell genomics of many diseases

Although advances in genetics and genomics reveal numerous disease-associated gene mutations, physicians and researchers still wrestle with the tricky challenge of linking those mutations to actual disease-causing processes.

22 Apr 2020

Antibody testing in L.A. county reveals the magnitude of coronavirus spread

After weeks of physical and social distancing measures in place, many in the U.S. are worrying about how soon they can return to normal life. However, to lift restrictions, it is critical to ascertain accurate numbers of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) carriers. Doing so will decrease the chance or even avoid the second wave of infections.

22 Apr 2020

Researchers uncover how cancer cells don their invisibility cloaks

Immunotherapy drugs that target a protein called programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) on the surface of cancer cells have quickly become a mainstay to treat many forms of cancer, often with dramatic results. But exactly how cancer cells turn on this protein was not completely understood.

22 Apr 2020

New findings could make immunotherapy treatments effective for more cancer patients

Scientists have developed a new way to map the molecules on tumour cells that flag their presence to the immune system, according to a study published today in eLife.

22 Apr 2020

Raw-type dog food contains high levels of multidrug-resistant bacteria

Microorganisms that infect animals, such as dogs, have the potential to jump to humans and cause illness. Zoonosis is a disease that can spread from animals to humans. These diseases pose health risks, mainly that some types can become life-threatening. Now, a study warns that raw-type dog food contains high levels of multidrug-resistant bacteria, which has the potential of transmitting the bacteria between dogs and humans.

21 Apr 2020

Study shows how tumor cells respond to lack of nutrients

Some solid tumors have a very high growth rate, which often leads to a lack of vascularization due to the impossibility to develop, at the same time, the blood vessels that accompany and nourish it.

21 Apr 2020

Researchers develop new 3D multicomponent dissolvable vaccine platform

In parallel to their current work on a potential coronavirus vaccine, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have developed a new vaccine delivery system for vaccines using live or attenuated viral vectors: a finger-tip sized patch that contains 400 tiny needles, each just half of one millimeter.

21 Apr 2020

Immunity to coronavirus infection may help stem the pandemic

The raging coronavirus pandemic is causing immense fear and uncertainty across the world. One of the most distressing aspects of COVID-19 disease is the seemingly large number of unknowns. These include the burning question of immunity. Does a person who was sick with the COVID-19 and then recovered or was infected without symptoms, have immunity against re-infection?

21 Apr 2020

Scientists identify new biomarker to detect subclinical atherosclerosis

Scientists at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares and the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz in Madrid have demonstrated that a proteins present in early atheroma plaques--accumulations of cholesterol in the wall of arteries--could be used as a biomarker to detect atherosclerosis in the subclinical phase, before the appearance of symptoms.

21 Apr 2020

USPTO grants patent to TAU scientist for innovative coronavirus vaccine design

Researchers worldwide are racing at breakneck speed to develop potential vaccines and drugs to fight the novel coronavirus, SARS-Cov-2.

21 Apr 2020

Antibodies against Imood could be potential treatment for OCD

Mental health conditions such as obsessive compulsive disorder could be treated in a new way using drugs that target the immune system, research suggests.

21 Apr 2020

Bio-Rad Introduces Anti-Ipilimumab Antibodies

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc has extended its range of recombinant monoclonal anti-idiotypic antibodies.

21 Apr 2020

COVID-19 and immunodeficiency

COVID-19 disease, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a highly infectious disease. As of today, over 170,000 people worldwide have succumbed to the infection. Reports have shown that some comorbidities and illnesses raise the risk of getting infected and also influence the severity of the disease. Having a compromised immune system can also drastically raise the risk of getting COVID-19.

21 Apr 2020