Immune System News and Research

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Research detects a more dangerous SARS-CoV-2 mutation

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in May 2020 reports the setting up of a system to help track new mutations in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that is behind the current COVID-19 pandemic. This will help analyze mutations to find and track the spread of those that are most likely to increase the pathogenicity of the virus, either by making it easier to transmit or by enhancing its resistance to treatment.

4 May 2020

Lipo-ImmunoTech receives grant to develop novel adoptive cell therapy technology for cancer

Lipo-ImmunoTech, LLC, a startup based in Charleston, South Carolina, recently received a Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer grant of just over $224,000 to continue to develop its novel adoptive cell therapy technology for cancer.

2 May 2020

Spike protein analysis from India's first SARS-CoV-2

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv analyzes viral spike protein sequences from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak in West Bengal, India, comparing them with sequences from other Indian states and Wuhan, China.

30 Apr 2020

WSU researchers crack the Lyme disease code

The next time a tick feeds on you, Washington State University researchers hope to make sure persistent arthritis caused by Lyme disease doesn't linger for a lifetime.

30 Apr 2020

Fear of coronavirus propels some smokers to quit

In 40 years of smoking, Katie Kennedy has tried four times to quit but always went back to cigarettes. Today, she is summoning a new mental image when a craving comes on: rows of COVID-19 patients hooked to ventilators.

30 Apr 2020

Changes to gut microbiome could improve cancer outcomes for smokers

Changes to the gut microbiome interacted with the immune system to slow the growth of cancer in mice exposed to cigarette smoke, according to research that was selected for presentation at Digestive Disease Week 2020.

30 Apr 2020

Revolutionary imaging technique may help diagnose and treat cancer

A first-of-its-kind nanoparticle-based in vivo imaging technique that may one day be used to help diagnose and even treat cancer has been developed by researchers collaborating from Michigan State, Johns Hopkins and Stanford universities.

30 Apr 2020

A new model for identifying the most effective treatments for respiratory viral infection

When a person contracts a respiratory viral infection like COVID-19 or influenza, the immune system responds in a myriad of ways to eliminate the virus.

29 Apr 2020

Drug combo for untreated CLL approved by FDA based on E1912 trial

Patients with untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma now have a new treatment option--a combination of the targeted agent ibrutinib with the immunologic agent rituximab.

29 Apr 2020

Food crisis and socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 in the hungriest countries

The number of people battling acute hunger and suffering from malnutrition is on the rise again. The upheaval set in motion by the COVID-19 pandemic may push even more families and communities into deeper distress.

29 Apr 2020

New study could improve our understanding about platelets

University of Kentucky College of Medicine researcher Sidney Whiteheart has been awarded a prestigious Outstanding Investigator Award from the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute for his research on how platelets function in hemostasis and during immune responses.

29 Apr 2020

Australian COVID-19 vaccine candidate shows protective response in pre-clinical trials

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, scientists race to develop a vaccine that can help contain the spread of the virus. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has so far infected more than 3.18 million people across the globe. Now, early tests of a potential coronavirus vaccine have shown promise in pre-clinical trials.

29 Apr 2020

Researchers discover cause for the lack of immune defense against tumors

One of the reasons why cancer develops is because regulatory cells inhibit the body's immune defense. Researchers under the helm of the Technical University of Munich have discovered a mechanism for identifying regulatory cells in tumor tissue that suppress an immune response.

29 Apr 2020

Researchers test existing anti-inflammatory drug in COVID-19 patients

An anti-inflammatory drug developed at Scripps Research 25 years ago is now being tested as a way to prevent acute respiratory distress in patients with COVID-19, the pandemic disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

29 Apr 2020

Study with twins shows COVID-19 symptoms have genetic contribution

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv from King's College, London, suggests that an individual's genetic makeup may contribute to how much a person is likely to be affected by COVID-19, or whether they are likely to be infected at all.

29 Apr 2020

Study reveals SARS-CoV-2 RNA cap structure

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in April 2020 reports the discovery of the structure of the cap created by the novel coronavirus on virally encoded mRNAs. The finding could help create new antiviral strategies.

29 Apr 2020

Study explores the growth rate effect of gut bacteria on break down of dietary fibers

It is known that approximately 80% of human immune system functions in the gastrointestinal tract. Gut bacteria and their metabolites play a fundamental role in the interaction between gut and other organs.

29 Apr 2020

C-Path receives EMA’s letter of support to facilitate the diagnoses of type 1 diabetes

The Critical Path Institute (C-Path) today announced that its Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) Consortium has received a letter of support from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to facilitate the development and validation of the proposed regulatory qualification of pancreatic islet autoantibodies commonly used in clinical practice to diagnose T1D: insulin autoantibodies, glutamic acid decarboxylase 65, and insulinoma antigen-2 autoantibodies as enrichment biomarkers for T1D clinical trials.

29 Apr 2020

Researchers receive ERC grant to speed up the diagnosis of autoimmune encephalitis

Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) is a disease that affects 2-3 people out of 100,000, in which our immune system attacks our own brain causing neurological and psychiatric symptoms.

28 Apr 2020

Albany, Wisconsin researchers look for molecular clues to fight COVID-19

In the center of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals are racing to maintain quality care for patients with severe disease while facing a shortage of resources and limited understanding of the novel coronavirus.

28 Apr 2020