Immune Response News and Research

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Researchers discover 'taste bud cells' in mice lungs after severe bout of flu

Most people who weather an infection with influenza fully recover after a week or two. But for some, a severe case of the flu can actually reshape the architecture of their lungs and forever compromise their respiratory function.

29 Mar 2019

Study uncovers details about human immune response to dengue infection

About 40 percent of the global population is at risk for contracting dengue - the most important mosquito-borne viral infection and a close "cousin" of the Zika virus - and yet, no effective treatment or safe licensed vaccine exists.

29 Mar 2019

Lab-grown blood vessels provide hope for dialysis patients

Research published this week describes how lab-grown blood vessels were transformed into living tissue when grafted into dialysis patients needing replacement blood vessels.

28 Mar 2019

Low-dose radiation therapy may increase uptake of therapeutic nanoparticles by brain tumors

A new study led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators finds that radiation therapy may increase the uptake of therapeutic nanoparticles by glioblastomas, raising the possibility of using both growth-factor-targeted and immune-system-based therapies against the deadly brain tumor.

28 Mar 2019

Researchers identify crucial player in controlling misfolded proteins

Researchers have identified a protein complex that marks misfolded proteins, stops them from interacting with other proteins in the cell and directs them towards disposal.

27 Mar 2019

People born with short telomeres found to have short-lived immune system cells

Scientists at Johns Hopkins say they have found that people born with abnormally short chromosome endcaps, or telomeres, have immune system cells that age and die prematurely.

27 Mar 2019

Study offers new insights for vaccine development to prevent RSV disease

In healthy adults, RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, feels like the common cold with a runny nose, chest congestion and cough.

27 Mar 2019

Encapsulating human beta cells with immune-repelling protein restores glucose metabolism in diabetic mice

Encapsulating human stem-cell-derived beta cells in microcapsules made with a protein that repels key immune cells restored glucose metabolism in diabetic mice and protected the cells from immune system attack, preventing the buildup of inflammatory fibrotic tissue that has plagued previous trials of encapsulated beta cells.

27 Mar 2019

New research aims to turn worms against parasite-associated cancer

Billions worldwide are infected with tropical worms. Unsurprisingly, most of these people live in poor countries, kept poor by the effects of worm-related malnourishment.

26 Mar 2019

Synthetic peptide appears to disrupt inflammation and protect kidneys from nephritis

A synthetic peptide appears to directly disrupt the destructive inflammation that occurs in nephritis, enabling the kidneys to better recover and maintain their important functions, investigators report.

25 Mar 2019

Study provides new pathway for controlling inflammation

UT Southwestern researchers have identified two proteins that act as gatekeepers to dampen a potentially life-threatening immune response to chronic infection.

22 Mar 2019

A new way to visualize the immune cell "landscape" of bowel cancer tumors

University of Otago scientists have discovered a way to view the immune cell "landscape" of bowel cancer tumours, paving the way towards more individualised medicine and treatment for many other diseases in future.

22 Mar 2019

Combination of two topical creams can prevent cancer

A combination of two topical creams already shown to clear precancerous skin lesions from sun-damaged skin also lowers the risk that patients will later develop squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.

22 Mar 2019

Allergic reaction during pregnancy may alter sexual-development in offspring's brain

A single allergic reaction during pregnancy prompts sexual-development changes in the brains of offspring that last a lifetime, new research suggests.

22 Mar 2019

Role of immunological imprinting in elicitation of new antibodies

We are repeatedly exposed to the influenza virus via infections, vaccinations and our communal environments. The annual flu shot is believed to be the best line of defense, and doctors recommend vaccinations every year because the flu virus is in a constant state of adaptation and mutation, rendering older vaccines obsolete.

21 Mar 2019

Scientists identify generation of key immune response in mice on introducing solid food

Microbes colonize all body surfaces and help to balance the immune system. In newborn infants, gut microbiota is first conditioned by breast milk components.

20 Mar 2019

Enzyme inhibitor stops inflammation and neurodevelopmental disorders in mouse models

Work published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that an enzyme inhibitor developed by Professor Bruce Hammock and colleagues at UC Davis reduced inflammation in the brains of mice born to mothers with maternal immune activation.

20 Mar 2019

Study suggests potential new approach to treat atopic dermatitis

How does the immune system respond to fungi on our skin? Researchers at the University of Zurich have demonstrated that the same immune cells that protect us against skin fungi also encourage the inflammatory symptoms of atopic dermatitis. An antibody therapy could alleviate this chronic inflammatory skin disease.

18 Mar 2019

Long-awaited structure offers new insights into rejection of transplanted organs

Rejection of any kind is always hard to deal with, but when one's body rejects a precious organ transplant, the consequences can be devastating. Professor A. Vathsala, Co-director of the National University Centre for Organ Transplantation at the National University Hospital and Professor of Medicine, shared that between 30% to 40% of kidney transplants are lost over time to rejection.

15 Mar 2019

Deadly inherited blood disorders cured with bone marrow transplant

Doubling the low amount of total body radiation delivered to patients undergoing bone marrow transplants with donor cells that are only "half-matched" increased the rate of engraftment from only about 50 percent to nearly 100 percent, according to a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers.

15 Mar 2019