Inflammasome News and Research

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UQ researchers discover new immune defense pathway deployed against bacteria

A new understanding of one of the body’s immune defense mechanisms could lead to the development of novel therapeutic targets for conditions such as cancer and autoimmune diseases, a University of Queensland study has revealed.

31 Aug 2018

Newly identified target may lead to discovery of treatments for chronic inflammatory diseases

Inflammation is part of the body's natural healing process. But when it becomes chronic, inflammation can lead to cancer, Alzheimer's disease and other conditions.

26 Jul 2018

Scientists discover protein crucial for activating inflammation

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have identified a protein that is crucial for activating inflammation -; both the good kind of inflammation that leads to healing wounds and fighting infection, as well as excessive inflammation where the immune system can damage tissues and organs.

27 Jun 2018

Researchers discover unique process of brain cell death in MS

Researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a unique process of brain cell death that affects the cells that are most vulnerable in multiple sclerosis.

13 Jun 2018

Study finds link between inflammatory signals in heart muscle cells and atrial fibrillation

Interfering with inflammatory signals produced by heart muscle cells might someday provide novel therapeutic strategies for atrial fibrillation, according to an international team of researchers who have published their findings in the journal Circulation.

5 Jun 2018

MU researchers use new techniques to fight against diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is a retinal microvascular disease that often causes blindness in adults who have had diabetes mellitus for 10 years or more. Estimates are that 600 million people will have some sort of diabetic retinopathy by 2040.

25 Apr 2018

New discovery could be key to stopping damage caused by inflammation in many diseases

A discovery by Queensland scientists could be the key to stopping damage caused by uncontrolled inflammation in a range of common diseases including liver disease, Alzheimer's and gout.

7 Feb 2018

Unhealthy diet makes the body's defenses more aggressive in the long term

The immune system reacts similarly to a high fat and high-calorie diet as to a bacterial infection. This is shown by a recent study led by the University of Bonn.

11 Jan 2018

Immune system plays key role in development of atherosclerosis

The immune system plays an important role in the development of atherosclerosis, the underlying cause of cardiovascular diseases. Thomas van der Heijden has discovered that immunosuppressants may play a preventative role. PhD defense 19 December.

19 Dec 2017

Biologists resolve immune protein structure to provide insight into pathogen-defense strategies

Biologists have resolved the structure of a ring of proteins used by the immune system to summon support when under attack, providing new insight into potential strategies for protection from pathogens.

17 Nov 2017

Research reveals fundamental process used by immune system to recognize invading pathogens

The body's homeland security unit is more thorough than any airport checkpoint. For the first time, scientists have witnessed a mouse immune system protein frisking a snippet of an invading bacterium. The inspection is far more extensive than researchers imagined: the immune system protein, similar to those in humans, scans the bacterial protein in six different ways, ensuring correct identification.

16 Nov 2017

Scientists discover way to treat severe inflammation from mosquito-borne diseases

Scientists have discovered a way that could help treat severe inflammation from an infectious mosquito-borne disease during outbreaks.

29 Aug 2017

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles can intensify inflammatory reaction in patients with colitis

Titanium dioxide, one of the most-produced nanoparticles worldwide, is being used increasingly in foodstuffs.

19 Jul 2017

Researchers discover that microRNA can prevent excessive intestinal inflammation

An international team of researchers has discovered that a microRNA produced by certain white blood cells can prevent excessive inflammation in the intestine.

9 May 2017

Researchers discover promising target for treatment of leishmaniasis

Each year, about 2 million people contract leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease transmitted by the bite of a sand fly. The cutaneous form of the disease results in disfiguring skin ulcers that may take months or years to heal and in rare cases can become metastatic, causing major tissue damage.

24 Feb 2017

Research may show new ways to repress inflammation at outset

Researchers at the University of Tübingen, working with colleagues in other parts of Germany and in the United States, have identified an enzyme as a kind of biological gauge regulating inflammation in the human body.

21 Feb 2017

Sleep may be regulated by several brain-based immune proteins, study reveals

Sleep -- one of the most basic, yet most mystifying processes of the human body -- has confounded physicians, scientists and evolutionary biologists for centuries.

2 Feb 2017

How does the brain control appetite?

Energy balance between energy intake and expenditure in our bodies is important for maintaining energy homeostasis to keep our bodies functioning properly. The appetite determines how much we eat, the energy intake, by communication between the brain and body.

4 Jan 2017

TUM scientists uncover novel mechanisms of action for skin disease medication

Imiquimod is a medication successfully used in the treatment of skin diseases. In addition to its known mechanism of action, it also triggers other processes in the body.

20 Oct 2016

Researchers discover how signals from infectious bacteria get to inflammasome sensors

Researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have discovered the way signals from infectious bacteria gain entry into the cytoplasm of host cells to activate disease-fighting inflammasomes.

29 Sep 2016