Thymus News and Research

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Scientist explains why COVID-19 targets only some organs while others are spared

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) uses the enzyme angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) to enter and infect human cells. It causes COVID-19 and can lead to a multitude of complications, including multi-organ impairment, partially due to the abundant expression of ACE2 in all human tissues.

11 Aug 2020

New test will help better manage patients with severe combined immunodeficiency

A new test developed at CHU Sainte-Justine in Montreal will enable better management of patients with severe combined immunodeficiency.

17 Jun 2020

Research team generates comprehensive developmental map of human T-cells

Chintan Parekh, MD, of The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, has led a team of investigators that generated a comprehensive roadmap for how T-cells develop in the human thymus.

16 Jun 2020

Georgia State researcher receives $1.95 million NIH grant to study cause of autoimmunity

Dr. Leszek Ignatowicz, a professor in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University, has received a five-year, $1.95 million federal grant to study what causes autoimmunity in the human body.

8 Jun 2020

New study raises red flags about strategy to block cancer drug resistance

Sooner or later, most cancer patients develop resistance to the very chemotherapy drugs designed to kill their cancer, forcing oncologists to seek alternatives.

17 Apr 2020

Bacterial metabolism of bile acids boosts generation of immune cells, study shows

A Ludwig Cancer Research study has discovered a novel means by which bacterial colonies in the small intestine support the generation of regulatory T cells--immune cells that suppress autoimmune reactions and inflammation.

15 Apr 2020

'Chaperone protein' protects against autoimmune diseases, mice study shows

Like a parent of teenagers at a party, Mother Nature depends on chaperones to keep one of her charges, the immune system, in line so that it doesn't mistakenly attack normal cells, tissues and organs in our bodies.

15 Apr 2020

Scientists uncover key molecular mechanism underlying different aspects of sepsis

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that kills millions annually; it is poorly understood and has no specific treatment.

27 Mar 2020

New 'Immuno-Engineering to Improve Immunotherapy' Center formed to advance cancer therapy

Harvard University's Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering and its collaborating institutions, the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Harvard's Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, announce the formation of a new NIH-funded Immuno-Engineering to Improve Immunotherapy Center.

7 Mar 2020

TSF awards new grants to support research and education programs in cardiothoracic surgery

The Thoracic Surgery Foundation- the charitable arm of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons- has awarded 29 new grants totaling $1,047,500 in support of research and education programs in cardiothoracic surgery.

16 Feb 2020

New strategy uses iPSCs to regulate immune reaction to transplanted tissues

Scientists suggest a new strategy that uses induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to regulate immune reaction to transplanted tissues.

9 Feb 2020

Study reveals new "crosstalk" between intestinal microbes and developing thymic cells

Newborns face unique immunological challenges immediately after birth. As they depart a relatively sterile fetal environment, they are abruptly exposed to a multitude of foreign antigens, the major burden of which is in the form of the microbiota newly colonizing the gastrointestinal tract.

24 Jan 2020

Scientists reverse HIV latency, take major scientific step toward curative therapies

Approximately 38 million people are infected with HIV worldwide, about 1.1 million people in the United States. Currently, people with HIV take antiretroviral therapy (ART), which can suppress HIV to undetectable levels in blood, but the virus persists throughout the body in latently infected resting CD4+ T cells.

22 Jan 2020

Research adds definitive evidence about how the body's earliest immune cells are formed

One day the advance could lead to a patient's own skin cells being used to produce new cells for cancer immunotherapy or to test autoimmune disease interventions.

8 Jan 2020

Bile acids could also play a role in immunity and inflammation

Could bile acids--the fat-dissolving juices churned out by the liver and gallbladder--also play a role in immunity and inflammation?

3 Jan 2020

Researchers discover potent next generation of drugs to fight leukemia and lymphoma

UT Health San Antonio researchers, working with collaborators at the University of Florida, have discovered a safe and potent next generation of drugs to fight multiple types of leukemia and lymphoma in adults and children.

6 Dec 2019

Healthy high-fiber diet could reduce preeclampsia risk

A healthy diet rich in fiber is generally recommended, but new research shows it could be even more important during pregnancy to promote the wellbeing of the mother and child.

10 Jul 2019

New findings may help kick-start aging immune system

The thymus is the powerhouse producing the immune system's T cells, which combat infection in our body.

26 Jun 2019

Scientists use gold nanoparticles to edit genes tied to HIV, inherited blood disorders

Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center took a step toward making gene therapy more practical by simplifying the way gene-editing instructions are delivered to cells.

28 May 2019

First Footage of T-Cells Training To Fight Pathogens Revealed

Immunologists at The University of Texas at Austin have recorded visuals of T-cells learning what kind of cells to ignore when fighting pathogens, to ensure they do not attack healthy cells and tissues when fighting disease. It is the first time that this process has been captured on video.

20 May 2019