Immunosuppression News and Research

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Immunosuppression involves an act that reduces the activation or efficacy of the immune system. Some portions of the immune system itself have immuno-suppressive effects on other parts of the immune system, and immunosuppression may occur as an adverse reaction to treatment of other conditions.

Antibody response of COVID-19 patients to SARS-CoV-2 and seasonal coronaviruses

Scientists conducted a cohort study and measured the prevalence and the levels of antibody responses to the nucleocapsid protein of SARS-CoV-2 and four seasonal human coronaviruses.

3 Nov 2021

RA patients taking glucocorticoids or B-cell therapies may have worse COVID-19 vaccine response

New research presented this week at ACR Convergence, the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting, shows that people with chronic inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), who take immunosuppressive therapy appear to have an impaired immunity response to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, vaccines. Patients currently on glucocorticoids or B-cell depleting therapy appear to have an even more severely impeded vaccine response.

2 Nov 2021

Effectiveness of mRNA BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine in immunocompromised individuals

Israeli researchers evaluate the antibody response in ICPs to assess antibody-mediated immunity following vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

26 Oct 2021

An investigation of three SARS-CoV-2 mRNA doses in multiple sclerosis vaccine non-responders

A clinical study by a team of scientists from Norway aimed to assess the immunogenicity and safety of a third dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine in MS patients treated with anti-CD20 therapy or fingolimod. A preprint version of the study, which is yet to undergo peer review, is available on the medRxiv* server.

20 Oct 2021

New atlas of small cell lung cancer reveals rare population of stem-like cells with metastatic properties

Imagine you're about to go on a cross-country trip, stopping at spots along the way to admire local attractions.

15 Oct 2021

Removing high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions reduces chances of progression to anal cancer

In a randomized clinical trial with 4,446 participants, known as the Anal Cancer/HSIL Outcomes Research (ANCHOR) study, researchers found that by removing high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL), chances of progression to anal cancer were significantly reduced.

8 Oct 2021

Novel peptide-drug conjugate enhances the efficacy of immunotherapy in preclinical cancer models

A peptide-drug conjugate that targets the acidic environment of cancer cells enhanced the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in preclinical cancer models, according to results presented at the AACR-NCI-EORTC Virtual International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, held October 7-10, 2021.

7 Oct 2021

Depressed seroconversion in immunocompromised COVID-19 vaccine recipients

Researchers from the University of Singapore have reviewed the data in post-vaccinated immunocompromised patients to examine the effectiveness of these vaccines in these patients.

5 Oct 2021

Study looks at immunosuppressants and COVID vaccine efficacy

Researchers investigate the effects of five established immunosuppressant medications following COVID-19 vaccination.

4 Oct 2021

Study provides insights on kidney transplant recipients’ immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection

New research provides insights on the immune responses of kidney transplant recipients following infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. The study, which is published in JASN, may help explain why these individuals face a higher risk of dying from COVID-19 than others in the general population.

4 Oct 2021

Chronic COVID-19 and divergent variants of SARS-CoV-2

A new study discusses the isolation of two variants of concern (VOCs) from an immunocompromised COVID-19 patient.

27 Sep 2021

Study to determine the characteristics and outcome of patients hospitalized with COVID-19

The study summarized the clinical presentation and demographic features of patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19.

26 Sep 2021

Melanomas that metastasize to the adrenal gland are resistant to checkpoint inhibitors

Recent advances in immunotherapy have allowed doctors at the University of Colorado Cancer Center to more effectively treat melanomas that spread to other parts of the body. Immunotherapy drugs such as checkpoint inhibitors, which are commonly used to treat melanomas, work to strengthen a patient's immune system so that it can prevent a tumor from "turning off" the ability of the immune system to fight it.

24 Sep 2021

Researchers reveal a mechanism of SHP2-mediated tumor immunosuppression

Colorectal cancer (CRC), a malignant tumor worldwide consists of microsatellite instability (MSI) and stable (MSS) phenotypes. Although SHP2 is a hopeful target for cancer therapy, its relationship with innate immunosuppression remains elusive. To address that, the authors of this article performed single-cell RNA sequencing to explore the role of SHP2 in all cell types of tumor microenvironment (TME) from murine MC38 xenografts.

21 Sep 2021

Study quantifies the life-years lost to cancer among transplant recipients

People who have received organ transplants face an elevated risk of developing cancer, primarily due to immunosuppression from medications to prevent organ rejection, as well as underlying medical conditions.

20 Sep 2021

New vaccinia-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate induces robust, durable immune responses

Researchers in Australia have developed a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-9) vaccine that induced robust and long-lived humoral and cellular immune responses against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in both young and aging mice.

8 Sep 2021

Study reveals Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and immune response in clinically vulnerable individuals

The current study found that a strong S-antibody response occurs following complete vaccination with two different COVID-19 vaccines.

6 Sep 2021

Newly discovered cell type makes survivors of sepsis more vulnerable to infections

Sepsis is the leading cause of death in Brazil's intensive care units (ICUs). Among patients who progress to the severe form of the disease, 40% die, and the survivors often suffer from cardiovascular and neurological complications, as well as a significant decline in immunity lasting for years after they are discharged from hospital.

2 Sep 2021

Severe COVID-19 negatively impacts kidney function in kidney transplant recipients

During her medical school career, third-year student Skylar Nahi has taken advantage of the mentorship and research opportunities available to Feinberg students.

31 Aug 2021

COVID-19 vaccine elicits antibody responses in nearly 9 out of 10 people taking immunosuppressants

COVID-19 vaccination elicited antibody responses in nearly nine out of 10 people with weakened immune systems, although their responses were only about one-third as strong as those mounted by healthy people, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

30 Aug 2021