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Rare genetic mutation tied to increased risk of tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a confounding scourge. It's the leading cause of death from infectious disease in the world, and yet it's estimated that those deaths represent perhaps 5% of infections with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb).

30 Aug 2024

Hair follicles use unique sensor system to clean up dead cells

Billions of our cells die every day to make way for the growth of new ones. Most of these goners are cleaned up by phagocytes-;mobile immune cells that migrate where needed to engulf problematic substances.

21 Aug 2024

Novel anti-tuberculosis compound targets bacterial membrane protein

Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) have together succeeded in identifying and synthesizing a group of molecules that can act against the cause of tuberculosis in a new way. In the scientific journal Cell Chemical Biology, they describe that the so-called callyaerins act against the infectious disease by employing a fundamentally different mechanism compared to antibiotic agents used to date.

1 Aug 2024

Exploring the versatile roles of tissue macrophages beyond immune defense

The role of resident tissue macrophages (RTMs) in homeostasis and disease.

17 Apr 2024

Link between gut dysbiosis and chronic diseases explored in new study

Study explores the ecological causes of gut dysbiosis and its link to human diseases, revealing how imbalances in gut microbiota composition, influenced by host-derived factors like oxygen and nitrate, contribute to various chronic conditions.

5 Dec 2023

Parasites that cause visceral leishmaniasis can infect non-immune cells, study finds

The organisms that cause visceral leishmaniasis, a potentially deadly version of the parasitic disease that most often affects the skin to cause disfiguring disease, appear to have a secret weapon, new research suggests: They can infect non-immune cells and persist in those uncommon environments.

29 Sep 2023

New insights into the pathogenic mechanisms of SLC29A3 disorders

In humans, the SLC29A3 gene regulates the function of lysosomes to control waste recycling in cells such as macrophages (that engulf and destroy foreign bodies).

22 Aug 2023

New insights into dendritic cell biology could lead to improved cancer therapies

The cells of the immune system circulate mainly in the blood and migrate into the body's tissues after an inflammation. Some types of immune cells, however, are permanently located in the tissues, where they come together to form three-dimensional networks.

17 Jul 2023

New insights into how dendritic cells arm T cells to fight disease

As part of the immune system, dendritic cells are essential for fighting body cells that have degenerated or are infected with a virus.

11 Jul 2023

Scientist identifies the specific mechanistic cause of life-threatening fungal infections

Major fungal infections have become more common across the globe, and one unexpected phenomenon among the rise of fungi is life-threatening infections as a result of a complication of certain immunotherapies and small molecule kinase inhibitors.

15 Jun 2023

Teaming up with the patient’s immune system to combat cancer

The fact that our immune systems capture and destroy nanoparticles and the drugs they carry has been a problem in the field of nanomedicine for some time. But, in the fight against cancer, researchers are now attempting to exploit this problem to their advantage.

8 Jun 2023

Bioengineered drug candidate can counter S. aureus infection in early tests

Researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and Janssen Biotech, Inc. have shown in early tests that a bioengineered drug candidate can counter infection with Staphylococcus aureus – a bacterial species widely resistant to antibiotics and a major cause of death in hospitalized patients.

24 Apr 2023

Rockefeller scientists describe the genetics of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection in children

One of the most terrifying aspects of the COVID pandemic has been its unpredictably severe impact on some children.

10 Feb 2023

Researcher contextualizes a study on IgG4 anti-Spike levels after repeated SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination

A researchers emphasized the need to reconsider mRNA COVID-19 vaccination strategies in the future,

9 Feb 2023

Underlying genetic cause for MIS-C complications after COVID-19 identified

A recent Science journal study determined the underlying cause of MIS-C related to SARS-CoV-2 in some children. It hypothesized that monogenic inborn errors of immunity (IEI) is the primary reason for this condition. Identifying these inborn errors is expected to help elucidate the disease's cellular, molecular, and immunological basis.

2 Jan 2023

Scientists study OAS–RNase L errors and COVID-19-associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children

Researchers assessed the inborn abnormalities of 2′-5′-oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS)-ribonuclease L (RNASEL) noted in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).

23 Dec 2022

Immune-evading Mycobacterium tuberculosis prevents inflammatory responses by hijacking the host’s ubiquitin

A new study discussed the findings of Chai et al., which revealed that triple specificity protein phosphatase (ptpB) secreted by Mycobacterium tuberculosis inhibits pyroptosis and the release of cytokines by macrophages, allowing M. tuberculosis to invade the immune system.

19 Dec 2022

Scientists develop preclinical model of scrub typhus disease

Scientists have developed an animal model of scrub typhus using outbred CD-1 mice. Using the model, they have characterized host susceptibility to the causative pathogen, disease pathogenesis, and immune responses. The study has been published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

27 Nov 2022

COVID-19 and the gut

Researchers summarize current knowledge about underlying mechanisms and potential therapeutic approaches for the effects of COVID-19 on the gut.

26 Oct 2022

Research reveals pivotal role of C/EBPb in the development of alveolar macrophages

If a secretion in the lungs’ alveoli is not cleared regularly, breathing difficulties can develop. In a study published in Science Immunology, a team led by Alexander Mildner and Achim Leutz has now explained the pivotal role of the transcription factor C/EBPb in this process.

16 Sep 2022