immunity News and Research

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Fat cells below skin help protect from bacteria, say researchers

When it comes to skin infections, a healthy and robust immune response may depend greatly upon what lies beneath. In a new paper published in the January 2, 2015 issue of Science, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report the surprising discovery that fat cells below the skin help protect us from bacteria.

2 Jan 2015

First successful vaccination of deer against chronic wasting disease

Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and elsewhere say that a vaccination they have developed to fight a brain-based, wasting syndrome among deer and other animals may hold promise on two additional fronts: Protecting U.S. livestock from contracting the disease, and preventing similar brain infections in humans.

23 Dec 2014

Endogenous retroviruses play critical role in body's immune defense against bacterial, viral pathogens

Retroviruses are best known for causing contagious scourges such as AIDS, or more sporadically, cancer.

23 Dec 2014

Scientists identify white blood cells that tumors use to suppress disease-fighting immune system

A study led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists has identified the population of white blood cells that tumors use to enhance growth and suppress the disease-fighting immune system.

19 Dec 2014

Scientists validate oral vaccine delivery system to combat global health threats

Scientists at The Forsyth Institute and Tufts University have succeeded in describing and validating a unique system of oral vaccine delivery using a common bacteria found in the mouth.

16 Dec 2014

Brunel scientists find way to target hard-to-reach cancers using 'Trojan horse' nanoparticles

Scientists at Brunel University London have found a way of targeting hard-to-reach cancers and degenerative diseases using nanoparticles, but without causing the damaging side effects the treatment normally brings.

12 Dec 2014

Research finding could lead to development of effective vaccines against microbial infections

The diverse functions of a special cell-recognition lipoprotein, LOX-1, weren't always fully understood. However, Baylor Research Institute investigators gained better insight into LOX-1's role in immune responses through a study recently published in Immunity. Investigators found that the lipoprotein promotes humoral responses, which could allow researchers to design effective vaccines against microbial infections, including influenza viruses and HIV.

11 Dec 2014

Johns Hopkins study shows gene expression in autism brains

While many different combinations of genetic traits can cause autism, brains affected by autism share a pattern of ramped-up immune responses, an analysis of data from autopsied human brains reveals. The study, a collaborative effort between Johns Hopkins and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, included data from 72 autism and control brains.

11 Dec 2014

Variations in ERAP1 enzyme could lead to Ankylosing Spondylitis

Scientists at the University of Southampton have discovered variations in an enzyme belonging to the immune system that leaves individuals susceptible to Ankylosing Spondylitis.

10 Dec 2014

Study shows seasonal flu vaccines may protect individuals against many different viruses

Seasonal flu vaccines may protect individuals not only against the strains of flu they contain but also against many additional types, according to a study published this week in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

9 Dec 2014

Novel treatments show safe responses in patients with relapsed, treatment-resistant blood cancers

Novel treatments that harness the body's own immune cells to attack cancer cells demonstrate safe and durable responses in patients with relapsed and treatment-resistant blood cancers, according to data presented today at the 56th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition.

7 Dec 2014

Researchers discover essential role of intestinal immune system in controlling energy metabolism

A group of UCL researchers (Louvain Drug Research Institute) identified an unsuspected mechanism impacting the development of obesity and diabetes type 2 after following a diet with a high dose of fat nutrition.

5 Dec 2014

Melbourne researcher wins Sornchai Looareesuwan Medal for research on malaria

Melbourne researcher Professor Alan Cowman has won the Sornchai Looareesuwan Medal 2014 for his significant contributions to understanding how the malaria parasite causes disease and for his search for potential malaria vaccines.

4 Dec 2014

Oncologists examine efficacy of rose bengal against cancer

Rose Bengal has been around for decades starting as a way to dye wool. Originally used in medicine as a stain for ophthalmologists, it has a solid safety record going back to the 1930s. Recently, oncologists have examined its efficacy against cancer, specifically melanoma.

4 Dec 2014

Apellis Pharmaceuticals completes $33M private placement of Series C Preferred Stock

Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading biotechnology company applying immunotherapy to autoimmune disease, today announced that it has completed a $33M private placement of its Series C Preferred Stock.

2 Dec 2014

HIV's ability to cause AIDS is declining, finds new research

The rapid evolution of HIV, which has allowed the virus to develop resistance to patients' natural immunity, is at the same time slowing the virus's ability to cause AIDS, according to new research funded by the Wellcome Trust.

2 Dec 2014

Phenotyping human diseases in mice: an interview with Professor Carola Vinuesa

One of the main obstacles to finding effective therapies for human diseases has been our limited understanding of disease pathogenesis: we lack detailed knowledge of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that lead to the development of disease.

30 Nov 2014

Experimental drug works best when patients' immune cells surrounding tumors express PD-L1

A promising experimental immunotherapy drug works best in patients whose immune defenses initially rally to attack the cancer but then are stymied by a molecular brake that shuts down the response, according to a new study led by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Yale University School of Medicine.

28 Nov 2014

Protein complex plays key role in detecting tumor cells, promotes anti-tumor response

A recently discovered protein complex known as STING plays a crucial role in detecting the presence of tumor cells and promoting an aggressive anti-tumor response by the body's innate immune system, according to two separate studies published in the Nov. 20 issue of the journal Immunity.

21 Nov 2014

Moffitt announces development of innovative investigational biologic agent for MDS

In a major step to treat patients living with Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), a group of diseases that affect the bone marrow and blood, Moffitt Cancer Center today announced the development of an innovative investigational biologic agent that could improve patient response and outcomes for MDS and other diseases.

18 Nov 2014