Immune System News and Research

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Disruption of immune cell behavior may spur heart disease, heart failure

On an ice hockey team, the players all start off with identical uniforms, skates and a stick. But if you take one of them, add padding, a glove, and a mask; and switch the stick to one with a larger blade, then you get a goalie.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 19 Jul 2019

Receptor in the uterus can detect sperm molecule, aids in sperm survival

Why does it take 200 million sperms to fertilize a single egg? The single sperm that reached the finished line has successfully survived multiple checkpoints within the female reproductive tract, dubbed as pre-fertilization events. Now, a new study shows that the uterus contains receptors that facilitate sperm survival.

19 Jul 2019

Study uncovers gene that hides tumor cells from immunotherapy

A team at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has identified a gene that could make immunotherapy treatments, specifically checkpoint inhibitors, work for a wider variety of cancer patients.

19 Jul 2019

Strong family bonding improves helps child's asthma

Want to help your child deal with asthma better? A new Northwestern University study says one way is to build a sturdy sense of family bonding, especially in dangerous neighborhoods.

18 Jul 2019

Study reveals how aggressive prostate cancer metastasizes by evading the immune system

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered how an aggressive form of prostate cancer called double-negative prostate cancer (DNPC) metastasizes by evading the the immune system.

18 Jul 2019

Study shows link between gut microbiome health and successful joint replacement

Having healthy gut flora - the trillions of bacteria housed in our intestines - could lower the risk of infection following knee and hip replacement surgeries, while an unhealthy intestinal flora may increase the risk of infection.

18 Jul 2019

Getting rid of chronic infections by waking up sleeping bacteria

Researchers in the group of Jan Michiels (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology) identified a mechanism of how sleepy bacteria wake up.

18 Jul 2019

Cancer stem cells elude the body's immune cells by deactivating danger detector

Acute myeloid leukemia stem cells elude the body's immune cells by deactivating a danger detector. The underlying mechanisms and the potential new therapeutic approaches that this gives rise to have been detailed in the journal Nature by researchers from the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel in collaboration with colleagues in Germany.

18 Jul 2019

Light at last: why do more women develop Alzheimer’s disease?

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a leading cause of dementia in many older people, but it seems to affect twice as many women as men. Scientists have long tried to find out why this is so, and why it seems to follow a fast-track course in women.

18 Jul 2019

Mothers with gestational diabetes transferring harmful 'forever chemicals' to their fetus

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts have found that pregnant women with gestational diabetes have a higher rate of passing on harmful synthetic chemicals called PFAS (17 - per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) to their unborn babies and thus risking their health.

17 Jul 2019

Gut infection can lead to a pathology resembling Parkinson's disease

A new study by Montreal scientists published today in Nature demonstrates that a gut infection can lead to a pathology resembling Parkinson's disease in a mouse model lacking a gene linked to the human disease.

17 Jul 2019

Dry cracked skin of eczema patients promotes 'atopic march'

Infants who develop eczema are more likely to develop food allergies, hay fever and asthma as they grow older, a progression known as the atopic march.

17 Jul 2019

Novel vaccine against bee sting allergy successfully tested

A recently completed trial on a bee sting vaccine containing a novel adjuvant called Advax to increase its efficacy has raised hopes that severe allergic reactions, sometimes fatal, to bee venom in allergic people could soon be a thing of the past. The vaccine was designed to neutralize the venom of the European honeybee.

17 Jul 2019

Study identifies genomic differences that impact response to Cryptococcus infection

Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen that infects people with weakened immune systems, particularly those with advanced HIV/AIDS. New University of Minnesota Medical Research could mean a better understanding of this infection and potentially better treatments for patients.

16 Jul 2019

New method spots rare immune cells reactive against cancer

Researchers from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have developed a new method to spot rare immune cells that are reactive against cancer cells, from within a patient's own immune system.

16 Jul 2019

Single-cell encapsulation technology can protect transplanted MSCs from immune attack

Bone marrow transplants of hematopoietic stem cells have become standard treatment for a host of conditions including cancers of the blood and lymphatic systems, sickle cell anemia, inherited metabolic disorders, and radiation damage.

16 Jul 2019

Removing bacterial armor could be new way to fight anthrax

A new study led by Dr. Antonella Fioravanti in the lab of Prof. Han Remaut (VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology) has shown that removing the armor of the bacterium that causes anthrax slows its growth and negatively affects its ability to cause disease.

16 Jul 2019

UMass Amherst scientist receives $792,000 grant to advance cancer immunotherapy research

Biomedical engineer Ashish Kulkarni, assistant professor of chemical engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has been awarded a four-year, $792,000 grant from the American Cancer Society to advance his interdisciplinary lab's promising cancer immunotherapy research.

16 Jul 2019

HIV therapy leaves unrepaired holes in the immune system's wall of defense

If they don't receive antiretroviral therapy (ART), most HIV patients see a progressive weakening of their immune system.

16 Jul 2019

Novel biomarker-guided approach has potential for treatment of common liver cancer

A study at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center discovered a cellular pathway tied to cancer that may be beneficial in reducing side effects and extending duration of immunotherapy in some patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of liver cancer.

16 Jul 2019