immunity News and Research

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Enzyme from gut microbe shows promise in fighting childhood malnutrition

The study highlights FAAH's role in gut microbiota, showing its potential in improving growth and health in malnourished children through dietary intervention.

29 Oct 2024

Novel class of encrypted peptides offers hope against drug-resistant bacteria

In a significant advance against the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, researchers have identified a novel class of antimicrobial agents known as encrypted peptides, which may expand the immune system's arsenal of tools to fight infection.

28 Oct 2024

Research uncovers how parasitic worms evade itch response

Ever had an itchy nose or, worse, an unreachable spot on your back that drives you mad? Now imagine an itch that refuses to go away, no matter how hard or long you scratch.

26 Oct 2024

The importance of muscle preservation in medically induced weight loss

A recent commentary published in The Lancet journal highlights the critical importance of skeletal muscle mass in the context of medically induced weight loss, particularly with the widespread use of GLP-1 receptor agonists.

26 Oct 2024

Discovery of stem-like CD4 T cells offers new hope for cancer immunotherapy

Researchers at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have identified a novel type of immune cell, called the stem-like CD4 T cell, that plays a pivotal role in anti-tumor immunity.

26 Oct 2024

Tertiary lymphoid structures linked to improved outcomes in liver cancer patients

A newly described stage of a lymph node-like structure seen in liver tumors after presurgical immunotherapy may be vital to successfully treating patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, according to a study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

25 Oct 2024

Study finds minority patients less likely to refuse vaccines

Throughout the Covid pandemic, media widely reported that Black patients were more likely than White patients to refuse vaccines, including the influenza and Covid vaccines.

24 Oct 2024

Antibiotic for liver disease linked to emergence of antimicrobial resistant superbug

An international team of researchers has found that an antibiotic commonly prescribed for patients with liver disease, called rifaximin, has led to the global emergence of an almost untreatable form of the antimicrobial resistant superbug vancomycin-resistant enterococcus faecium (VRE), which frequently causes serious infections in hospitalized patients.

24 Oct 2024

Repeated mRNA vaccinations enhance mucosal antibody production

During the COVID pandemic, many of us have received multiple mRNA vaccines. New work by researchers at the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, Ghent University, and University Hospital Ghent, among others, has found that such repeated vaccinations lead to the presence of mucosal antibodies, for example, inside the nose. Their work appears in Science Translational Medicine.

23 Oct 2024

Arsenic in water linked to increased heart disease risk

Long term exposure to arsenic in water may increase cardiovascular disease and especially heart disease risk even at exposure levels below the federal regulatory limit (10µg/L) according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

23 Oct 2024

Structural biology reveals secrets of DEV phage infection

The viruses that infect bacteria are the most abundant biological entities on the planet. For example, a recent simple study of 92 showerheads and 36 toothbrushes from American bathrooms found more than 600 types of bacterial viruses, commonly called bacteriophages or phages.

22 Oct 2024

Discovery of new bacterial toxins opens path to novel infection treatments

Researchers have discovered a new group of bacterial toxins that can kill harmful bacteria and fungi, opening the door to potential new treatments for infections.

22 Oct 2024

New research uncovers how coronavirus evades immune defense

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has an enzyme that can counteract a cell's innate defense mechanism against viruses, explaining why it is more infectious than the previous SARS and MERS-causing viruses.

22 Oct 2024

New single-chain mRNA vaccines offer enhanced immunity and protection against mpox

Study reveals single-chain mRNA vaccines confer 100% protection against lethal mpox challenge in mice, marking a significant advancement in vaccine technology.

22 Oct 2024

Black prostate cancer patients respond better to immunotherapy

Black men with advanced prostate cancer have a greater chance of survival after immunotherapy treatment, at least in part, because of ancestral gene variants in immune responses.

17 Oct 2024

Adenine base editors show potential to correct X-CGD-causing mutations

A collaborative effort between investigators at the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, demonstrates the potential of precise genome editing technologies, called adenine base editors, to correct disease-causing mutations in stem cells from patients with X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (X-CGD), a rare genetic disorder characterized by high susceptibility to infections.

16 Oct 2024

Distinct immune profiles linked to adverse reactions from immunotherapy

Distinct immune "signatures" in patients who develop adverse events while taking immunotherapy for cancer may help oncologists identify patients at risk and treat them early to prevent serious side effects, suggests a study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.

15 Oct 2024

New study reveals mechanism of inflammation in lupus

Immune cells called monocytes produce a key inflammatory protein called interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) through an unconventional pathway in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, commonly referred to as lupus, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

15 Oct 2024

New insights into pain mechanisms related to viral infections

An article published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity reports the findings of a study by researchers based in Brazil, the United States and South Korea who set out to understand how viral infections cause pain and to contribute to the search for novel ways of relieving it.

15 Oct 2024

Naloxone use by non-medical bystanders on the rise, but not fast enough

Use of a lifesaving drug to reverse opioid drug overdoses is growing, but not fast enough. That's according to new research in JAMA Network Open from The Ohio State University College of Medicine, College of Public Health and the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians.

14 Oct 2024