A drug used to treat asthma and allergies can bind to and block a crucial protein produced by the virus SARS-CoV-2, and reduce viral replication in human immune cells, according to a new study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
Researchers studying the effect of the monoclonal antibody Leronlimab on long COVID-19 may have found a surprising clue to the baffling syndrome, one that contradicts their initial hypothesis. An abnormally suppressed immune system may be to blame, not a persistently hyperactive one as they had suspected.
A new Houston Methodist study explains clever ways the BA.1 and BA.2 omicron variants escape antibodies, contributing to the ability of these variants to spread rapidly and to be so successful in infecting people with the COVID-19 virus. Knowing this could lead to new therapeutic targets and help update vaccine formulations.
MD Anderson awarded more than $10 million in grants to support collaborative research teams working to advance novel interception and treatment strategies that will improve outcomes for several cancer types with the greatest unmet need, including pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer and glioblastoma (GBM).
Using advanced techniques for imaging the brain and eyes, along with new biomarkers, researchers in the Department of Neurology at Cedars-Sinai are working to present a clearer picture of multiple sclerosis (MS). Their work could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of the disease, in which the body’s immune system attacks the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.
In line with their commitment to strengthening communities through support that prioritizes equity, accessibility and inclusivity, Josh and Marjorie Harris through Harris Philanthropies, their family foundation, have made a six-figure donation to the Dolphins Challenge Cancer (DCC), the fundraising initiative of the Miami Dolphins Foundation. Harris Philanthropies’ generous support will be directed to Sylvester Comprehensive CancerCenter’s Game Changer community outreach vehicles, which bring cancer screenings and health information directly into underserved communities throughout South Florida.
Pregnant women continue to have reservations about getting vaccinated against COVID-19 despite research indicating the safety of the vaccines and the protection they may offer their unborn children.
Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center want to improve their understanding of the immune environment in ovarian cancer in hopes of making immunotherapy an option for these patients. In a new study published in Cancer Cell, they report on key characteristics of immune cells in ovarian cancer and identify cell types important for mediating an immune response.
The antibodies generated by Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine rise more slowly and decline more quickly than those generated by the Moderna vaccine, according to a new study from UVA Health.
Using retrospective clinical data and in-depth lab studies, researchers have discovered that vitamin E can enhance immunotherapy responses by stimulating dendritic cells in the tumor.
UC San Diego study shows chronic JUUL use leads to inflammatory changes across the body, and may affect organs’ response to infection; results depend on e-cigarette flavor.
CoVac-1, a new vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, induced T-cell immune responses in 93 percent of patients with B-cell deficiencies, including many patients with leukemia and lymphoma, according to results presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2022, held April 8-13.
Researchers at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have found that Zika virus can mutate to become more infective—and potentially break through pre-existing immunity.
University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Institute of Human Virology contributes to Global Virus Network studies suggesting that the oral polio vaccine can protect people in developing nations that do not yet have access to COVID vaccines
Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health, with collaborators, have further elucidated how ovarian cancer tumors defy immunotherapy, identifying new molecular targets that might boost immune response.
Moffitt Cancer Center researchers have revealed that the creation of an immunosuppressive environment is key to the progression of benign colorectal adenomas to invasive, malignant carcinomas. Their findings were published in Nature Communications.
SEATTLE — April 6, 2022 — Below are summaries of recent Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center research findings and other news. If you’re covering the American Association of Cancer Research’s annual meeting, April 8-13, see our list of Fred Hutch highlights for AACR and contact [email protected] for help setting up interviews with experts.
Most immunocompromised people with a blood cancer called multiple myeloma benefited from a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines, a promising sign after it was shown that two doses tended to not be sufficient for them. However, some people with multiple myeloma still remained vulnerable and may need a fourth dose or antibody treatments as restrictions lift and new variants emerge, according to a fast-tracked study in Cancer Cell.
The gel, tested in mice, releases drugs and special antibodies that simultaneously deplete immune-blocking cells called macrophages from the surgical site and activate T cells so they can attack cancer.
Cardamonin — a natural compound found in the spice cardamom and other plants — could have therapeutic potential for triple-negative breast cancer, according to a new study using human cancer cells. The findings also show that the compound targets a gene that helps cancer cells elude the immune system.
Findings from a new study performed in mice suggest that omega-3 fatty acids could help immunotherapy and other treatments do a better job at fighting cancer. Immunotherapies, which stimulate the body’s own immune system to attack cancer, have revolutionized cancer treatment, but they don’t work for every patient.
For more than 20 years, Loyola Medicine has provided the Chicago area with allergy counts every weekday via Twitter during the allergy season. The Loyola Medicine Allergy Count will begin 2022 reporting on April 1.
Two new studies from the Global Virus Network (GVN) in partnership with the Petroleum Industry Health Organization of Iran provide evidence that getting the oral polio vaccine made from live, weakened poliovirus may protect people from COVID-19 infection by stimulating the immune system.
Johns Hopkins research shows that high-titer (antibody-rich) COVID convalescent plasma — when administered to COVID-19 outpatients within nine days after testing positive — reduced the need for hospitalization for more than half of a study’s predominantly unvaccinated outpatients.
With second boosters becoming available, schedules for first boosters recently changed, and new evidence about the protection offered by boosters in the Omicron surge, a guide for those who have not yet been boosted or are considering a second booster.
The ninth annual Harrington Prize for Innovation in Medicine has been jointly awarded to James E. Crowe, Jr., MD, Director, Vanderbilt Vaccine Center and Professor, Departments of Pediatrics and Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt School of Medicine, and Michel C. Nussenzweig, MD, PhD, Investigator, HHMI, and Zanvil A. Cohn and Ralph M. Steinman Professor, The Rockefeller University. The award recognizes their groundbreaking work, which has elucidated fundamental principles of the human immune response and enabled the use of human antibodies to treat COVID-19.
Pancreatic cancer is notoriously difficult to cure or even treat. Now, a new strategy devised by scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine has succeeded in making pancreatic tumors visible to the immune systems of mice and vulnerable to immune attack, reducing cancer metastases by 87%. The paper describing the findings published online today in Science Translational Medicine.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a novel therapy for patients with metastatic or inoperable melanoma, an aggressive type of skin cancer. The treatment is developed based on original research conducted at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.
The new study suggests that children tend to have strong antibody responses after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Understanding antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 at different ages can inform COVID-19 vaccine strategies and policies.
Ebola virus polymerase hijacks a cellular protein called GSPT1. An experimental drug that targets GSPT1 for degradation can also halt Ebola virus infection in human cells.
Fewer than 1 in 1,000 people who have been vaccinated or previously infected with COVID-19 were hospitalized with a new breakthrough infection, Mayo Clinic research finds. The study, which is published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, supports previous studies that show vaccination is the best way to prevent severe COVID-19 infection, hospitalization and death.
Our immune protection is provided by two systems working hand in hand. When infected with a virus, the immune system reacts by producing antibodies that can prevent the virus from infecting further cells.
Although allergies are widespread, their diagnosis is complex and, depending on the type of allergy, the prospects of success with therapy are not always clear.
Researchers at Texas Biomed and University of Alabama at Birmingham discovered an antibody cocktail against COVID-19 that appears effective against all variants and other coronaviruses. The cocktail has been exclusively licensed to Aridis Pharmaceuticals, which is seeking a manufacturing partner to advance the treatment to human clinical trials.
Children previously infected with COVID-19 develop natural circulating antibodies that last for at least seven months, according to a new study led by researchers at UTHealth Houston.
Replenishing the body’s high-density lipoprotein (HDL) could be an effective treatment for sepsis, according to a new University of Kentucky College of Medicine study published in Science Signaling. The lab study, led by Xiangan Li, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Physiology and the Saha Cardiovascular Research Center, found that a synthetic form of HDL provided protection against sepsis in mice.
The team's latest study, published in Cell, shows that two clever human antibodies can target two ebolavirus species at once: Ebola virus and Sudan virus. These two species are responsible for the biggest, deadliest outbreaks. The new report suggests researchers could combine these two potent antibodies to make a powerful antiviral therapy.
Columbia Engineering researchers report that they have developed a “cloaking” system that temporarily hides therapeutic bacteria from immune systems, enabling them to more effectively deliver drugs to tumors and kill cancer cells in mice. By manipulating the microbes’ DNA, they programmed gene circuits that control the bacteria surface, building a molecular “cloak'' that encapsulates the bacteria.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists exploring the interaction between cancer cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) — the “scaffolding” of organs — found that proteins in the ECM can dramatically impact the immune system’s ability to kill tumors.
With the aid of a recently awarded $3.5 million, five-year National Cancer Institute grant (R01CA262265), Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Jersey’s only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Tufts Medical Center in Boston are collaborating on groundbreaking work that is unifying global multi-source big data in order to enhance clinical decision support for improved acute and long-term outcomes for Hodgkin lymphoma patients around the world.
Newly released data from an ongoing research study at the University of Arizona Health Sciences in combination with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s PROTECT study show that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has been a moderately effective tool for preventing the spread of COVID-19 and reducing the severity of infection among children and adolescents.
The parasites that cause a disfiguring skin disease affecting about 12 million people globally may have met their match in vaccines developed using CRISPR gene-editing technology, new research suggests.