Immunology News and Research

Latest Immunology News and Research

Low endorsement among doctors worldwide for COVID-19 ‘immunity passports’

A cross-sectional survey conducted in September 2020, aimed at assessing the views of a randomly selected, stratified physician sample on this matter, drawing names from physicians registered with the global networking platform called Sermo. This offers its registration service to verified licensed physicians.

1 Dec 2020

Experimental stem cell gene therapy may give a new lease of life for patient with sickle cell disease

"But it's a marathon whereas you keep going, the trail gets rockier and then you lose your shoes," the 27-year-old said. "It gets harder as you get older. Things start to fail and all you can think about is how much worse it's going to get down the road."

1 Dec 2020

Gut microbiota directly shapes the makeup of human immune system, shows study

MSK researchers have uncovered an important finding about the relationship between the microbiota and the immune system, showing for the first time that the concentration of different types of immune cells in the blood changes in relation to the presence of different bacterial strains in the gut.

1 Dec 2020

Researchers successfully edit SIV virus from genomes of non-human primates

Taking a major step forward in HIV research, scientists at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University have successfully edited SIV - a virus closely related to HIV, the cause of AIDS - from the genomes of non-human primates.

1 Dec 2020

Researchers highlight potential advantages of mucosal vaccine

Anyone who has undergone a nasal swab or saliva test for COVID-19 knows that the virus is most easily detected in the nose and mouth.

30 Nov 2020

COVID-19 studies have neglected to focus on mucosal immunity, researchers argue

Researchers suggest that COVID-19 studies should focus on how mucous membranes in the mouth and nose develop immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

27 Nov 2020

Combining cell engineering with machine learning to design living medicines for cancer

Finding medicines that can kill cancer cells while leaving normal tissue unscathed is a Holy Grail of oncology research.

26 Nov 2020

Transgenic mouse model could recapitulate severe COVID-19 in humans

Researchers in the United States and Canada have described the potential for a transgenic mouse model to serve as an effective platform for the study of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and severe disease course in humans.

26 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 immunity can sustain for at least eight months, study finds

A new study by researchers at Monash University, Australia, has revealed that people who have been infected with COVID-19 showed sustained protection against reinfection for at least eight months.

26 Nov 2020

Early interferon therapy may mitigate COVID-19 severity

A recent review of COVID-19 therapies explores the utility of interferons in the battle against severe COVID-19, and concludes that they deserve further development.

26 Nov 2020

Fruit fly study reveals the effects of microgravity on the heart

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have shown that fruit flies that spent several weeks on the International Space Station (ISS)—about half of their lives—experienced profound structural and biochemical changes to their hearts.

25 Nov 2020

Iron infusion highly effective to treat anemia in low-income settings

Over 1 billion people globally are affected by iron-deficiency anemia. In sub-Saharan Africa, anemia is a major public health concern with roughly 60% of the population suffering from anemia.

25 Nov 2020

Germicidal lamps used to sanitize against COVID-19 may damage the cornea

In a paper published in the journal of Ocular Immunology and Inflammation, physicians from the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine reported that several patients using germicidal lamps in an attempt to sanitize against the coronavirus.

25 Nov 2020

New drug lures stem cells to damaged tissue, improves treatment efficacy

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have created a drug that can lure stem cells to damaged tissue and improve treatment efficacy--a scientific first and major advance for the field of regenerative medicine.

25 Nov 2020

Widely used antibiotic shows promise for fighting against Zika infections

In 2015, hundreds of children were born with brain deformities resulting from a global outbreak of Zika virus infections.

24 Nov 2020

Penn State researcher to study how vitamin D regulates host immunity to viral infection

Funding from the National Institutes of Health will enable a Penn State researcher to study whether vitamin D supplementation could help people ward off or reduce symptoms caused by COVID-19.

24 Nov 2020

Reprogramming T cells into highly active 'super immune cells' can improve immunotherapy benefits

Immune-system T cells have been reprogrammed into regenerative stem cell-like memory (TSCM) cells that are long-lived, highly active "super immune cells" with strong antitumor activity, according to new research from Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

23 Nov 2020