Immune System News and Research

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Mice study offers new insight on irritable bowel syndrome

Sometimes the end of an intestinal infection is just the beginning of more misery. Of those who contract traveler's diarrhea, for example, an unlucky few go on to develop irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract.

12 Jan 2020

Researchers discover how a new immune system works to protect bacteria from phages

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have discovered how a new immune system works to protect bacteria from bacteriophages (phages), viruses that specifically infect bacteria.

11 Jan 2020

Siah2 Gene Control could Help Treat Melanomas More Effectively

To develop improved cancer immunotherapies, it is essential to understand how cancers shut down the natural immune response to foreign antigens. This current study demonstrates how mice lacking the Siah2 gene, fail to develop BRAF-mutation carrying melanoma from the corresponding cells, completely rejecting them. This could help in boosting the anticancer effect of existing specific immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as anti-PD-1 drugs.

10 Jan 2020

Rejuvenating the BCG Vaccine

A new primate study published in the journal Nature in January 2020, reports that the almost century-old BCG vaccine against tuberculosis, may be used differently to achieve better protection against lung tuberculosis. While more work remains to be carried out before the findings can be accepted as the basis for clinical practice, they are extremely promising in the fight against this killer.

10 Jan 2020

Sodium chloride nanoparticles offer potential for cancer therapies with fewer side effects

A new study at the University of Georgia has found a way to attack cancer cells that is potentially less harmful to the patient. Sodium chloride nanoparticles – more commonly known as salt – are toxic to cancer cells and offer the potential for therapies that have fewer negative side effects than current treatments.

9 Jan 2020

Nano-sized copper compounds together with immunotherapy can kill cancer cells

An interdisciplinary team of scientists from KU Leuven, the University of Bremen, the Leibniz Institute of Materials Engineering, and the University of Ioannina has succeeded in killing tumour cells in mice using nano-sized copper compounds together with immunotherapy. After the therapy, the cancer did not return.

9 Jan 2020

Researchers identify new prevention strategy for type 1 diabetes

A protein newly identified as important in type 1 diabetes can delay onset of the disease in diabetic mice, providing a new target for prevention and treatment in people, according to research led by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Indiana University School of Medicine.

9 Jan 2020

Smoking dormant HIV virus out into the open to develop a cure

Ever since antiretroviral treatments against HIV infection were introduced in 1996, scientists have eagerly been hunting for a cure for the disease.

9 Jan 2020

Specific group of immune cells may influence Alzheimer’s disease

A new study has revealed that the immune system plays a crucial and previously unidentified role in Alzheimer's disease.

9 Jan 2020

Timing is key: preventing infant SHIV infection by PEP

Researchers tested methods to prevent development of SHIV, an infection similar to HIV, in infant macaque monkeys.

9 Jan 2020

Study reveals cellular cross-talk between regulatory T cells and fibroblast cells in pancreatic cancer microenvironment

A multidisciplinary Michigan Medicine team is shedding new light on the role of regulatory T cells in pancreatic cancer - and, in mouse models, have uncovered a new potential target to improve immunotherapy approaches to the deadly disease.

9 Jan 2020

Maternal microbiota is a source of newborn immunity, shows study

Mother's milk has been long touted for its salutary effects on the newborn and its ability to shield infants from certain infections.

9 Jan 2020

Pathios appoints Stuart Hughes as CEO and announces US$8.8M Series A financing round

Pathios Therapeutics Limited, an innovative biotech company focused on the development of first-in-class therapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer, today announced a US$8.8M Series A financing round with leading international healthcare investors Canaan and Australia’s Medical Research Commercialization Fund managed by Brandon Capital.

9 Jan 2020

Breastfeeding mothers could naturally vaccinate their babies against malaria

In a world first, researchers from The University of Western Australia have taken the first step towards understanding whether it may be possible for breastfeeding mothers to naturally vaccinate their babies against malaria – one of the world’s deadliest contagious diseases.

9 Jan 2020