CCL2 News and Research

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SARS-CoV-2 spike protein recognized by innate immune receptors in a glycan-dependent way

The spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) depends on its ability to infect new host cells following its replication and release from infected cells. This pivots on its ability to bind to cell surface receptors like the ACE2 enzyme.

3 Aug 2020

Mouse model of fatal COVID-19 developed for vaccine and drug testing

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in July 2020 presents an engineered transgenic mouse that reproduces the functional and clinical characteristics of severe human SARS-CoV-2 infection.

21 Jul 2020

Potential new treatment approach to fatal COVID-19

Researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Pathways Bioscience in the United States have found that activating a transcription factor involved in oxidative stress regulation, antiviral activity, and inflammation may serve as a new treatment approach to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

18 May 2020

Newly discovered molecule in the lymphatic system could play a role in autoimmune diseases

A study by investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery has discovered a molecule in the lymphatic system that has the potential to play a role in autoimmune disease.

22 Mar 2020

Study shows how cancer-causing genes promote metastasis

Cancer-promoting genes MYC and TWIST1 co-opt immune system cells to enable cancer cells to spread, but blocking a key step in this process can help prevent the disease from developing.

14 Jan 2020

Researchers elucidate role of inflammation resolution sensor in obesity and heart failure

After heart attack injury, several fatty-acid-derived bioactive molecules -- including one called resolvin D1 -- play an essential signaling role to safely clear inflammation and help repair heart muscle. The mechanism of how this resolution occurs is not well-understood.

20 Nov 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 reports role of cancer gene in tumor microenvironment

The tumor microenvironment is a mix of fluids, immune cells and blood vessels which envelops the tumors. Interactions between tumor cells and the TME determine the progression and fate of tumors.

4 Jul 2019

Study uncovers how tumors backfire on neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Some patients with breast cancer receive chemotherapy before the tumor is removed with surgery. This approach, called 'neoadjuvant' therapy, helps to reduce the size of the tumor to facilitate breast-conserving surgery, and can even eradicate the tumor, leaving few or no cancerous cells for the surgeon to remove.

2 Jan 2019

Neurons play active role in triggering a defense mechanism that leads to their own damage

Rasmussen's encephalitis is a rare autoimmune disease that primarily affects children and can lead to seizures.

31 Aug 2018

Modified T lymphocytes prevent nerve cell damage in encephalitis

Scientists have found a way to prevent neuron death in Rasmussen’s encephalitis, by exploiting T lymphocytes in the immune system.

30 Aug 2018

Scientists reveal role of lung scavenger cells in liver cancer spread to the lungs

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common form of liver cancer, and the third biggest cause of death from cancer worldwide.

4 Jun 2018

Immune cells promote lung cancer metastases by forming clots in tumors, study finds

University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have found that by helping to form clots within tumors, immune cells that flock to a particular type of lung cancer are actually building a foundation for the tumor to spread within the body.

25 May 2018

Fatty acid-derived bioactive molecule helps improve heart function after heart attack in mice

Heart attacks provoke an acute immune response. Leukocytes rush to the heart muscle to remove dead cells and begin building scar tissue. This is followed by a second immune response, the resolving phase that allows healing.

7 Sep 2017

Link between breast cancer risk factor and inflammation raises hopes for preventative treatments

THE cause of a leading risk factor for breast cancer has been identified by researchers, raising hopes that preventative treatments will reduce the incidence of the disease.

27 Jan 2017

Adelaide researchers find new driver for breast density linked to cancer risk

Adelaide researchers are one step closer to breast cancer prevention after finding a new driver for breast density, an identified risk factor for breast cancer.

24 Jan 2017

New duo therapy offers hope for 'super blockage' of over-active immune system

A combination of two potential drugs gives hope of a 'super blockage' of an over-active immune system, Leiden researchers report in Nature. The breakthrough came from the crystallisation of a membrane protein.

15 Dec 2016

Existing anti-inflammatory drugs may be effective in treating epilepsy

In epileptic patients, seizures lead to an increased level of inflammation-related proteins called chemokines in the brain, and systemic inflammation likely helps trigger and promote the recurrence of seizures, making inflammation a promising new target for anticonvulsant therapy.

6 Jul 2016

Oral administration of Jakinibs reduces Parkinson's disease pathogenesis in rat model

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers report the first documentation that suppressing a key cell-signaling pathway in a rat model of Parkinson's disease reduces pathogenesis. Oral administration of AZD1480 — one of the JAK/STAT pathway inhibitors generally known as Jakinibs — lessened the destructive inflammation and nerve cell degradation in the area of the brain affected by Parkinson's.

4 May 2016

Scientists demonstrate workings of CCL2 mechanism that stimulates nerve regeneration

The peripheral nervous system is a vast network of nerves that exists primarily outside of brain and spinal cord and connects to the far reaches of the body. The very expanse of peripheral nerves makes them highly vulnerable to injuries such as blunt-force blows, cuts, and leg and arm fractures, as well as diseases that attack peripheral nerves such as diabetes, Charcot-Marie-Tooth, and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

6 Jan 2016