immunity News and Research

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Sexual activity causes physiological changes in the body that increase women's chances of getting pregnant

Research from Indiana University has found that sexual activity triggers physiological changes in the body that increase a woman's chances of getting pregnant, even outside the window of ovulation.

6 Oct 2015

UNC researchers find association between gut microbiota and anorexia nervosa

Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine found that people with anorexia nervosa have very different microbial communities residing inside their guts compared to healthy individuals and that this bacterial imbalance is associated with some of the psychological symptoms related to the eating disorder.

5 Oct 2015

Common IBD therapeutic target may protect against intestinal inflammation

Investigators at Children's Hospital Los Angeles have found that a common therapeutic target for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may actually protect against intestinal inflammation by inhibiting pathogenic T-cells. This discovery, reported in the October 2015 issue of Gastroenterology, could lead to new treatment options for the 65 percent of individuals with IBD who do not respond or become resistant to anti-TNF medications.

26 Sep 2015

Radboud university medical center reveals how BCG vaccine works against tuberculosis

Not only the acquired immune system but also the innate immune system has a memory. And the BCG vaccine against tuberculosis can stimulate this memory. After a BCG vaccination the innate immune system responds better to a wide range of other infections. Mihai Netea and colleagues from Radboud university medical center discovered and described how that works. They think that the old vaccine could be useful for specific target groups, such as the elderly.

23 Sep 2015

New cell type appears to drive life-threatening food allergies

Researchers have discovered a new cell type that appears to drive life-threatening food allergies and may help explain why some people get severe allergic reactions and others do not.

22 Sep 2015

BGB324 shows enhanced tumour clearance in mouse carcinoma models

BerGenBio AS, an oncology biopharmaceutical company, has announced new preclinical data on lead compound, BGB324, in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors, has been presented as a poster at CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR - The Inaugural International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival, in New York.

21 Sep 2015

Public lecture discusses the future beyond antibiotics

Pioneering research into bacteriophage therapy as an alternative to antibiotics will be discussed at this year’s Frank May Prize Lecture on Monday 21 September from 5.30 – 6.30pm in the Frank and Katherine May Lecture Theatre, Henry Wellcome Building at the University of Leicester.

17 Sep 2015

Pipetting Solutions for Sample Screening

Our research focuses on interleukin 1 and the inflammasome and their role in innate immunity and inflammation.

From INTEGRA Biosciences 16 Sep 2015

Key sequence in killer cells captured by Andor revolution microscope

Although much is known of the immune response to antigen-presenting cells, until now the way the body's own killer cells establish an immunological synapse to destroy those target cells has remained unclear. Now, an international research team led by Professor Gillian Griffiths of Cambridge University has resolved the key sequence of events using high-resolution 4D imaging.

15 Sep 2015

Researchers link molecular dots between periodontitis and heart disease

Periodontitis is a risk factor for heart disease. Now a team of researchers has shown that a periodontal pathogen causes changes in gene expression that boost inflammation and atherosclerosis in aortic smooth muscle cells. The research is published ahead of print in Infection and Immunity, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

14 Sep 2015

nCounterRNA:Protein pancancer immune profiling panel launched by NanoString

NanoString Technologies, Inc., a provider of life science tools for translational research and molecular diagnostic products, today announced the commercial launch of the nCounter® RNA:Protein PanCancer Immune Profiling Panel

From NanoString Technologies 11 Sep 2015

New collaboration may allow researchers to develop potential gene therapies for pediatric diseases

A new collaboration between Seattle Children's Research Institute and bluebird bio, Inc., a biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Mass. and Seattle, will allow researchers to develop potentially transformative gene therapies for severe genetic and rare pediatric diseases. The collaboration supports pediatric researchers in Seattle who will work with bluebird bio scientists and the company's gene editing technology to research potential cures for genetic pediatric diseases.

11 Sep 2015

New systematic review questions effectiveness of MVA85A vaccine on TB

A new systematic review of animal studies testing a vaccine for tuberculosis raises questions about whether the studies provided sufficient evidence to move into trials of children.

10 Sep 2015

NEI experts explore long-term effects of Ebola on the eye

Following the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa that took the lives of more than 11,200 people in the region, the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, has deployed a team of clinicians and technical experts to Monrovia, Liberia to investigate the long-term effects of Ebola on the eye.

9 Sep 2015

University of Bonn researchers find how cells in the body can detect genetic material of retroviruses

Researchers at the University of Bonn have discovered how cells in the body can detect the genetic material of so-called retroviruses. The pathogen of the immunodeficiency disease AIDS, the HI-1 virus, also belongs to this group. At the same time, the HI virus appears to circumvent this important defense mechanism.

8 Sep 2015

Study demonstrates effectiveness of new approach to protect humans from infectious disease

There are two common approaches to protecting humans from infectious disease: Targeting pathogens and parasites with medicines like antibiotics, or dealing with the conditions that allow transmission.

8 Sep 2015

Countrywide variations in chronic HBV burden revealed

A systematic review of the worldwide prevalence of chronic hepatitis B virus infection finds wide variation between countries.

3 Sep 2015

Potential new treatment for sepsis and ARDS

Scientists at Queen's University Belfast are developing a potential revolutionary new treatment for Sepsis and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), which are among the leading causes of death in hospitalised patients in the UK.

3 Sep 2015

Volatile anesthetics may combat viral and bacterial infections in the lung

In use for more than a century, inhaled anesthetics like nitrous oxide and halothane have made modern surgery possible. Now, in experiments in mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere have added to evidence that certain so-called "volatile" anesthetics -- commonly used during surgeries -- may also possess powerful effects on the immune system that can combat viral and bacterial infections in the lung, including influenza and pneumonia.

2 Sep 2015

SLU scientist receives grant to solve blood-clotting mysteries

Last summer, SLU scientists made a breakthrough discovery about the way in which blood clots. Through X-ray crystallography, they solved the molecular structure of prothrombin, an important blood-clotting protein, revealing an unexpected, flexible role for a "linker" region that may be the key to developing better life-saving drugs.

1 Sep 2015