Immune System News and Research

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Low and high HDL cholesterol linked to higher risk of infectious disease

Most people recognize that there is a relationship between cholesterol levels and risk of heart disease. But new research from Copenhagen University Hospital and University of Copenhagen shows that a certain kind of cholesterol might affect our health differently, that is, through a role in the immune system.

10 Apr 2018

Researchers develop new animal model to study Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is a viral disease spread by ticks in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and parts of Europe. Infection with CCHF virus is fatal in nearly one of every three cases.

9 Apr 2018

Using biomimicry for faster detection of disease outbreaks

Our immune systems are made up of billions of white blood cells searching for signs of infections and foreign invaders, ready to raise the alarm.

9 Apr 2018

Mice study reveals important role of pTreg cell population in autoimmune diabetes

In autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, some of the immune system's T cells mistakenly attack the body's own cells, while protective T regulatory cells try to defend against that attack.

6 Apr 2018

Researchers discover Tfh cell dysfunction in HIV-infected patients

A team of chemical and biomedical engineers from the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, have discovered that HIV-infected patients experience a dysfunction in a certain type of immune cell: the follicular helper T (Tfh) cell.

6 Apr 2018

Negative fateful life events appear to accelerate brain aging, study finds

Conflict, a death in the family, financial hardship and serious medical crises are all associated with accelerated physical aging. In a new study, researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that such negative fateful life events -- or FLEs -- appear to also specifically accelerate aging in the brain.

5 Apr 2018

Study provides systematic view of gene enhancer activity in diverse tumors

At the heart of any cancer diagnosis or treatment are cells. If one thinks of the cell components controlling gene activation as a Russian nesting-doll of gene regulatory layers, within those increasingly smaller tiers are short pieces of non-coding DNA called enhancers.

5 Apr 2018

New method simplifies genetic modification of T-cells in mice

A new method enables genes in living T-cells in mice to be modified quickly and efficiently. It makes use of plasmids, a tried-and-tested method of genetic engineering.

5 Apr 2018

Researchers identify macrophage populations involved in development of atherosclerosis

Stroke and heart attack are the leading cause of death in the Western world. Würzburg scientists have used a special technique to get a clearer picture of the cells involved and their activity.

5 Apr 2018

Researchers suggest a theory for the evolution of HIV from SIV

A new study has shed light on how HIV may have evolved from the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) that originated in non-human primates.

5 Apr 2018

Researchers find unexpected anti-inflammatory effects in PCSK9 inhibitors

PCSK9 inhibition is a new therapeutic strategy for atherosclerosis which is known to lower LDL cholesterol.

5 Apr 2018

Two new studies highlight GABA's importance in type 1 and type 2 diabetes

Dynamic interactions between the nervous system, hormones and the immune system are normally on-going but in diabetes the balance is disturbed.

5 Apr 2018

Researchers reveal new tactic to fight antibiotic-resistant pneumonia

Antibiotic resistance is a growing threat in bacterial pneumonia. While immune-stimulating treatments can help the body kill the bacteria, they can also cause inflammation that damages and weakens lung tissue. Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital now describe an approach that offers the best of both worlds: enhanced bacterial killing with reduced lung damage.

4 Apr 2018

Researchers develop improved method for calculating type 1 diabetes risk

An international research group headed by scientists from Helmholtz Zentrum München has developed a method for calculating the risk for developing type 1 diabetes that is significantly superior to earlier methods.

4 Apr 2018

TSRI research could lead to new approach for better flu prevention and treatment

This year's flu vaccine has been less effective in protecting people from the most common strain of the virus, compared with recent years. And once people become infected with the flu, there are few good ways to treat it.

3 Apr 2018

Atlas Award-winning study calls for more support to fight allergy epidemic in Africa

Allergies are on the rise in Africa, but with too few specialists to treat them, and a parallel increase in immune deficiency diseases, the situation is worse than we thought.

3 Apr 2018

Human genome is like a time machine, says researcher

The human genome is a bit like a time machine, says Ben Voight, an associate professor in Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics and of Genetics in Penn's Perelman School of Medicine.

3 Apr 2018

Scientists develop futuristic gene therapy for liver cancer

Genetically engineered human T cells that are effective at fighting liver cancer in mice may one day help patients fight liver cancer, say researchers.

3 Apr 2018

'Molecular scissors' could play pivotal role in fighting diseases including HIV infection

One way to fight diseases including HIV infection and autoimmune disorders could involve changing how a naturally occurring enzyme called SAMHD1 works to influence the immune system, new research suggests.

3 Apr 2018

Gut bacteria may hold clues to predict effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies

The composition of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract may hold clues to help predict which cancer patients are most apt to benefit from the personalized cellular therapies that have shown unprecedented promise in the fight against hard-to-treat cancers, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

3 Apr 2018