Interleukin 2 News and Research

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Study findings could pave way for better drugs to fight against parasitic infections

Immune cells, called macrophages, may rely on a compound to signal an attack to beat back attacks from parasitic worms, according to an international team of researchers, including Zissis C. Chroneos, associate professor of pediatrics, and microbiology and immunology at Penn State College of Medicine.

12 May 2017

Scientists reveal how immune cells activate to kill parasitic worms

An international team of researchers including Zissis C. Chroneos, associate professor of pediatrics, and microbiology and immunology at Penn State College of Medicine, reveals how immune cells called macrophages activate to kill parasitic worms.

11 May 2017

UC researchers find stem cell vaccine to enhance immune responses against tumors in animal models

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have found that a cancer stem cell vaccine, engineered to express a pro-inflammatory protein called interleukin-15 (IL-15) and its receptor (IL-15Ralpha), caused T cell production in animal models and enhanced immune responses against tumors.

10 May 2017

Study: Brain injury can increase impulsivity problems in rats

New research from the University of British Columbia confirms for the first time that even mild brain injury can result in impulse control problems in rats.

8 May 2017

‘Geneva signature’ evaluates safety and immunogenicity of promising anti-Ebola virus vaccine

An international team based at Geneva University Hospitals and at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, has succeeded in defining a "signature" composed of a small number of inflammatory markers that can be monitored in order to understand how a promising anti-Ebola virus vaccine stimulates the immune system.

19 Apr 2017

Researchers discover molecular compound that targets nucleus of allergen-sensitized cells

Transcription factors, the tiny proteins that switch genes on or off in the nucleus of cells, are considered unreachable molecular targets for drugs attempting to treat medical conditions.

18 Apr 2017

Air pollution may directly affect biology of upper airways to cause chronic sinus problems

Although human population studies have linked air pollution to chronic inflammation of nasal and sinus tissues, direct biological and molecular evidence for cause and effect has been scant.

18 Apr 2017

Research unravels how cytokines prevent multi-organ damage during parasitic infection

Cytokines are proteins secreted by several types of immune cells in response to infection, inflammation, or injury. Interleukin-17 (IL-17) is one such cytokine that causes inflammation, by controlling the production of other cytokines and mobilizing a type of white blood cell (neutrophil) that fights infections.

3 Apr 2017

Study shows inhibition of transgelin prevents vasculogenic mimicry in breast cancer

An article published in Experimental Biology and Medicine identifies a new signaling pathway involved in breast cancer cell growth. The study, led by Dr. Chan-Wha Kim, from the Department of Biotechnology at Korea University in Seoul, reports that inhibition of the actin-binding protein transgelin prevents vasculogenic mimicry (VM), a process that provides tumor cells with the nutrients required for growth.

29 Mar 2017

Researchers propose novel theory of how some cancers circumvent killing power of targeted therapies

Nearly 50 years into the "war" on cancer, doctors possess weapons that once would have seemed magical in their tumor-killing specificity.

29 Mar 2017

Research helps elucidate mechanisms behind low-level laser therapy in treating neuropathic pain

Low-level laser therapy has been shown by recent studies to be a non-invasive and effective alternative for treating neuropathic pain, a chronic condition caused by nerve damage, spinal cord injury or diseases such as diabetes.

28 Mar 2017

Scientists identify molecules that may be key to drug resistance in estrogen-driven breast cancers

Three-quarters of all breast cancer tumors are driven by the hormone estrogen. These tumors are frequently treated with drugs to suppress estrogen receptor activity, but unfortunately, at least half of patients do not respond to these treatments, leaving them with drug-resistant tumors and few options.

20 Mar 2017

Inflammation acts as double-edge sword in regeneration, study reveals

Regeneration is an inherent property of life. However, the potential to regenerate differs across species: while fish and amphibians can re-grow appendages such as limbs, tails, and fins, mammals, including humans, cannot restore injured organs to their original shape and function.

7 Mar 2017

Study shows new drug as promising treatment option for difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis patients

Between 3 and 5% of the population suffer from a form of inflammatory rheumatism. It affects approximately 250,000 - 400,000 people in Austria.

2 Mar 2017

Activated T-cells promote heart failure after heart attack

Chronic inflammation after a heart attack can promote heart failure and death. University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have now shown that activated T-cells — part of the immune system's inflammatory response — are both necessary and sufficient to produce such heart failure.

28 Feb 2017

Scientists discover potent trigger of inflammatory disease

Institute scientists have revealed a potent inflammatory molecule released by dying cells triggers inflammation during necroptosis, a recently described form of cell death linked to inflammatory disease.

22 Feb 2017

First breath of newborn shapes lifelong immunological milieu of lungs

The lung is an important interface between the body and the outside environment: with each breath, a surface of roughly 100 square meters exchanges oxygen for carbon dioxide. More than 10,000 liters of air pass adult lungs every day and with this come numerous viruses, bacteria and pollutants, which need to be prevented from entering the body.