Immune System News and Research

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UCSF scientists identify characteristics of progenitor cells

University of California San Francisco scientists have identified characteristics of a family of daughter cells, called MPPs, which are the first to arise from stem cells within bone marrow that generate the entire blood system. The researchers said the discovery raises the possibility that, by manipulating the fates of MPPs or parent stem cells, medical researchers could one day help overcome imbalances and deficiencies that can arise in the blood system due to aging or in patients with specific types of leukemia.

19 Jun 2015

International researchers identify previously unknown genetic immunodeficiency

An analysis of five families has revealed a previously unknown genetic immunodeficiency, says an international team led by researchers from Boston Children's Hospital. The condition, linked to mutations in a gene called DOCK2, deactivates many features of the immune system and leaves affected children open to a unique pattern of aggressive, potentially fatal infections early in life.

19 Jun 2015

Researchers find easy way to produce carbon nanoparticles that can carry drugs to targeted tissues

Researchers have found an easy way to produce carbon nanoparticles that are small enough to evade the body's immune system, reflect light in the near-infrared range for easy detection, and carry payloads of pharmaceutical drugs to targeted tissues.

19 Jun 2015

HUJI professor honored with Helmholtz International Fellow Award for epigenetics research

The Israeli immunologist and cancer researcher Professor Yehudit Bergman of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, has been honored with the Helmholtz International Fellow Award for her excellent research. In a prize ceremony at the MDC Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association in Berlin, Germany, MDC's interim director Professor Thomas Sommer presented the certificate to her on Thursday, June 18th, 2015.

19 Jun 2015

Experimental AIDS vaccine candidate stimulates immune system to block infection in animal model

New research led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and The Rockefeller University shows that an experimental vaccine candidate can stimulate the immune system to block HIV infection in mice.

18 Jun 2015

Scientists reveal new combination method that efficiently destroys cancer cells

Scientists at the Institut Pasteur and Inserm have successfully increased the infiltration of immune cells into tumors, thus inducing the immune system to block tumor growth. In an article published in Nature Immunology, the scientists show that, in combination with existing immunotherapies, this process efficiently destroys cancer cells.

18 Jun 2015

Scientists create new model to study latent HIV infection in brain cells

Over 35 million people worldwide are currently infected by HIV. Antiviral therapies can keep the virus from multiplying. However, no drug can cure infection so far, because various cell types continue to carry the virus in a latent, i.e. quiescent, state. Scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München have now established a model for latent HIV infection of brain cells.

18 Jun 2015

Single difference in HIV's genetic code influences progression of disease

In a finding that furthers the understanding of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), researchers from Children's Hospital Los Angeles discovered two locations where a single difference in HIV's genetic code altered the way the virus infected the cell, thereby influencing the progression of the disease.

18 Jun 2015

Autoantibodies play major role in IPF patients with acute exacerbations

Patients with acute exacerbations of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis responded well to therapies similar to those used to treat autoimmune diseases, according to findings published today in PLOS ONE. The study suggests that autoantibodies — implicated in many autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus — also play an important role in patients with acute exacerbations of IPF, a devastating lung disease.

18 Jun 2015

Ragweed pollen can trigger strong allergic reactions

Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) - an otherwise unremarkable plant - produces pollen that can trigger strong allergic reactions such as asthma even in very small quantities. Scientists from Technische Universität München (TUM) and Helmholtz Zentrum München have now published a joint study showing that the substance previously identified as the major allergen only induces such a vigorous allergic response in combination with the adenosine also present in the pollen.

18 Jun 2015

New study launched in Liberia to better understand health consequences of Ebola virus disease

The Liberia-U.S. clinical research partnership known as PREVAIL has launched a study of people in Liberia who have survived Ebola virus disease (EVD) within the past two years. The study investigators hope to better understand the long-term health consequences of EVD, determine if survivors develop immunity that will protect them from future Ebola infection, and assess whether previously EVD-infected individuals can transmit infection to close contacts and sexual partners.

18 Jun 2015

Findings could lead to treatments for chronic pain caused by nerve damage

Non-narcotic treatments for chronic pain that work well in people, not just mice, are sorely needed. Drawing from human pain genetics, an international team led by Boston Children's Hospital demonstrates a way to break the cycle of pain hypersensitivity without the development of addiction, tolerance or side effects.

18 Jun 2015

NIH-funded study identifies DOCK2 deficiency

Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have identified a new immune disorder--DOCK2 deficiency--named after the mutated gene responsible for the disease.

18 Jun 2015

Rare form of autoimmune syndrome may be tied to mutations in AIRE gene

A hereditary autoimmune disease that was thought to be exceedingly rare may have a less severe form that affects one in 1,000 people or even more, according to new research conducted at the Weizmann Institute of Science, in Israel, and the University of Bergen, in Norway.

18 Jun 2015

Helmholtz Zentrum München scientists investigating molecular causes of COPD

At present, there is a lack of effective treatments that target the causes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Scientists of the Comprehensive Pneumology Center at Helmholtz Zentrum München are therefore investigating the molecular causes of COPD in order to intervene specifically.

17 Jun 2015

Completing sepsis resuscitation bundle in six hours after diagnosis

Blood poisoning, known as sepsis, is the most common cause of death in intensive care units, according to the National Institutes of Health. The body's immune response to fight the infection triggers inflammation that restricts blood flow and leads to multiple organ failure.

17 Jun 2015

RPCI receives NCI grant to continue research program on photodynamic therapy for head and neck cancers

Roswell Park Cancer Institute has received continuation of a prestigious program project grant from the National Cancer Institute for research through the Roswell Park Photodynamic Therapy Center.

17 Jun 2015

La Jolla Institute researchers identify molecular pathway that maintains Treg cells' function

Regulatory T cells (Treg cells) are part of the system of checks and balances that prevents the immune response from going overboard and causing autoimmune disease. Although critically important for shaping the immune response and maintaining self-tolerance, how they hold on to their immune-suppressive powers had remained unclear.

17 Jun 2015

Regulatory T cells critical for the immune system's ability to fight off future pathogen attacks

Just as militaries need to have trained, experienced soldiers ready for future wars, making sure that the immune system has enough battle-ready T cells on hand is important for fast-acting, more effective vaccines, according to Penn State researchers.

17 Jun 2015

Researchers create cell lines to study gene expression in precursor brown fat and white fat cells

Since the 2009 discovery that energy-burning brown fat can be active in adults, research has raced ahead to understand this tissue and exploit it to treat the epidemic of obesity. Active brown fat also may assist in directly easing the burden of diabetes and related metabolic diseases by lowering the levels of glucose and fatty acids in the bloodstream. But progress in studying human brown fat often has been slowed by difficulties in obtaining and studying samples of the human cells that develop into brown fat.

17 Jun 2015

Immune System News and Research

UCSF scientists identify characteristics of progenitor cells

International researchers identify previously unknown genetic immunodeficiency

Researchers find easy way to produce carbon nanoparticles that can carry drugs to targeted tissues

HUJI professor honored with Helmholtz International Fellow Award for epigenetics research

Experimental AIDS vaccine candidate stimulates immune system to block infection in animal model

Scientists reveal new combination method that efficiently destroys cancer cells

Scientists create new model to study latent HIV infection in brain cells

Single difference in HIV's genetic code influences progression of disease

Autoantibodies play major role in IPF patients with acute exacerbations

Ragweed pollen can trigger strong allergic reactions

New study launched in Liberia to better understand health consequences of Ebola virus disease

Findings could lead to treatments for chronic pain caused by nerve damage

NIH-funded study identifies DOCK2 deficiency

Rare form of autoimmune syndrome may be tied to mutations in AIRE gene

Helmholtz Zentrum München scientists investigating molecular causes of COPD

Completing sepsis resuscitation bundle in six hours after diagnosis

RPCI receives NCI grant to continue research program on photodynamic therapy for head and neck cancers

La Jolla Institute researchers identify molecular pathway that maintains Treg cells' function

Regulatory T cells critical for the immune system's ability to fight off future pathogen attacks

Researchers create cell lines to study gene expression in precursor brown fat and white fat cells

Understanding the DNA Damage Response in Innate Immunity eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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