Immunology News and Research

Latest Immunology News and Research

Study provides deeper understanding on mechanisms of lipid-based autoimmune disease

Phospholipids - fat molecules that form the membranes found around cells - make up almost half of the dry weight of cells, but when it comes to autoimmune diseases, their role has largely been overlooked.

20 Oct 2017

Study could pave way for more effective cancer therapies

Many tumors possess mechanisms to avoid destruction by the immune system. For instance, they misuse the natural "brakes" in the immune defense mechanism, which normally prevent an excessive immune response. Researchers at the University of Bonn have now been able to take off one of these brakes.

17 Oct 2017

Discovery may lead to new approach for treating MS

Around 2.5 million people are affected by the autoimmune disease Multiple Sclerosis (MS), the commonest central nervous system disease among young adults.

17 Oct 2017

Wake Forest Baptist scientists win grant to develop more effective treatments for brain cancer

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive cancer that originates in the brain. Current therapies can slow the disease, but more often than not can't cure it.

16 Oct 2017

MD Anderson researchers chosen for national effort to expand reach of cancer immunotherapy

A major national effort to expand the reach of cancer immunotherapy to benefit more patients will draw upon the expertise of a team of researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

13 Oct 2017

USC discovery may one day lead to new therapies for liver cancer

A Keck School of Medicine of USC research team has identified how cancer stem cells survive. This finding may one day lead to new therapies for liver cancer, one of the few cancers in the United States with an incidence rate that continues to balloon.

12 Oct 2017

Salk scientists receive $2.5 million funding to conduct pancreatic cancer clinical study

Salk Professor and HHMI Investigator Ronald Evans has been awarded $2.5 million by Stand Up 2 Cancer (SU2C) as part of a multi-institution team to conduct clinical studies to open up a new avenue for immunotherapy in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

12 Oct 2017

Researchers uncover enzyme behind immune cell response

Monash University researchers have revealed the role played by an enzyme that is pivotal to the process of clearing infection in the body.

12 Oct 2017

Study reveals unique norovirus characteristic of hiding from host immune system

Noroviruses are the leading cause of non-bacterial gastroenteritis in the world and are estimated to cause 267 million infections and 20,000 deaths each year. This virus causes severe diarrhea, nausea, and stomach pain.

11 Oct 2017

Canadian researchers pinpoint new gene linked to peanut allergy

Canadian researchers have pinpointed a new gene associated with peanut allergy, offering further evidence that genes play a role in the development of food allergies and opening the door to future research, improved diagnostics and new treatment options.

11 Oct 2017

Alzheimer's gene can protect against and promote neurological damage

Scientists drilling down to the molecular roots of Alzheimer's disease have encountered a good news/bad news scenario. A major player is a gene called TREM2, mutations of which can substantially raise a person's risk of the disease.

9 Oct 2017

GW researchers receive NIH award to bring Zika vaccine trial to Brazil

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease of the National Institutes of Health awarded more than $2 million to a research team at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences to facilitate a Zika vaccine trial in Brazil.

9 Oct 2017

Patients with documented penicillin allergy more likely to develop surgical site infections, study finds

A study by Massachusetts General Hospital investigators found that surgical patients believed to be allergic to penicillin were significantly more likely to develop surgical site infections than were patients with no documented allergy, a difference totally attributable to the alternative antibiotics used to prevent such infections.

9 Oct 2017

Penn study explains how acute viral infections can linger

Infections caused by viruses, such as respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, measles, parainfluenza, and Ebola, are typically considered acute. These viruses cause disease quickly and live within a host for a limited time. But in some cases, the effects of the infection, and presence of the virus itself, can persist.

6 Oct 2017

Study findings provide new insight into inflammatory bowel disease

Findings from a study into Crohn's disease, led by William G. Kerr, Ph.D., of SUNY Upstate Medical University, and his collaborators at the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands, provide the first evidence that patients with debilitating inflammatory bowel disease lack sufficient quantities of a protein that comes from the SHIP1 gene.

6 Oct 2017

GW researcher awarded NIH grant to study how cocaine use affects HIV infection

Following studies showing that cocaine influences the replication and transcription of HIV, a researcher at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences was awarded more than $2.3 million from the National Institutes of Health to look deeper into the involved molecular mechanisms that allow this effect to happen.

5 Oct 2017

Scientists develop synthetic molecule effective at kicking and killing HIV

Current anti-AIDS drugs are highly effective at making HIV undetectable and allowing people with the virus to live longer, healthier lives. The treatments, a class of medications called antiretroviral therapy, also greatly reduce the chance of transmission from person to person.

5 Oct 2017

Two MSU researchers team up to tackle problem of arsenic poisoning

Two Montana State University researchers in different disciplines have teamed up to tackle the problem of arsenic poisoning, which is estimated by the World Health Organization to affect more than 100 million people worldwide, primarily through tainted drinking water.

4 Oct 2017

Asthma linked to increased risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth

Women with asthma suffer more often from preeclampsia (PE) and run a higher risk of giving birth to underweight babies. These and other complications during pregnancy and delivery can not be explained by hereditary or environmental factors, according to a study from Karolinska Institutet published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.

4 Oct 2017

Researchers look for ways to prevent chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment

Of the 14 million cancer survivors in the United States, a significant number experience a serious side effect called chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI). While easily recognized, little is known about the etiology of this condition, also known informally as "chemo brain."

3 Oct 2017