Feature Channels: Immunology

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Newswise: Novel Peanut Allergy Treatment Shown to be Safe, Effective, and Lasting
Released: 17-Mar-2023 12:30 PM EDT
Novel Peanut Allergy Treatment Shown to be Safe, Effective, and Lasting
University of North Carolina Health Care System

A four-year phase 2 clinical trial demonstrated that a peanut allergy treatment called sublingual immunotherapy, or SLIT, is effective and safe, while offering durable desensitization to peanuts in peanut-allergic children.

Released: 16-Mar-2023 7:25 PM EDT
An extra X chromosome-linked gene may explain decreased viral infection severity in females
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Researchers may have found why viral infections hit males more severely than females. They found that female mouse and human NK cells have an extra copy of an X chromosome-linked gene called UTX. UTX acts as an epigenetic regulator to boost NK cell anti-viral function, while repressing NK cell numbers.

   
Released: 16-Mar-2023 7:10 PM EDT
Paxlovid associated with lower risk of hospital admission
Kaiser Permanente

A Kaiser Permanente study confirms the benefit of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, also known as Paxlovid, as an early-stage treatment to prevent hospitalization for people with mild to moderate COVID-19, regardless of prior immunity or age. The study was published March 15, 2023, in Lancet ID.

Released: 16-Mar-2023 4:25 PM EDT
Research sheds light on protections against COVID-19 variant infections
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Research is shedding light on why ‘breakthrough’ Omicron infections occur in vaccinated individuals and suggests those who are both vaccinated and experienced previous infection have better protection against getting sick again.

Released: 16-Mar-2023 2:55 PM EDT
A novel waste removal factor treats brain haemorrhage
University of Helsinki

University of Helsinki and Taiwanese researchers have found a new way to remove waste from the brain after haemorrhage.

Released: 16-Mar-2023 1:25 PM EDT
Scientists create antibody 'cocktail' to fight deadly Lassa virus
Argonne National Laboratory

A group of researchers have used the Advanced Photon Source to look at monoclonal antibodies to subvert the “shield” of the Lassa virus, potentially paving the way for new therapies.

   
Newswise: Dual immunotherapy plus chemotherapy before surgery improves patient outcomes in operable lung cancer
15-Mar-2023 2:00 PM EDT
Dual immunotherapy plus chemotherapy before surgery improves patient outcomes in operable lung cancer
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

In a Phase II trial led by researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, adding ipilimumab to a neoadjuvant, or pre-surgical, combination of nivolumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy, resulted in a major pathologic response (MPR) in half of all treated patients with early-stage, resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

   
Released: 15-Mar-2023 5:40 PM EDT
Artificial Sweetener could dampen immune response to disease in mice
Francis Crick Institute

Scientists at the Francis Crick Institute have found that high consumption of a common artificial sweetener, sucralose, lowers activation of T-cells, an important component of the immune system, in mice.

   
Released: 15-Mar-2023 5:05 PM EDT
A common metabolite may help treat autoimmune diseases
Hokkaido University

Researchers have revealed the modulatory effect of the anti-inflammatory metabolite itaconate on T helper and T regulatory cells, which may lead to new therapeutic approaches to treating some autoimmune diseases.

Released: 15-Mar-2023 3:45 PM EDT
Don't keep hitting that snooze button! Get the latest research news and expert commentary on sleep here.
Newswise

It's sleep awareness week, according to the National Sleep Foundation. It’s important to understand how sleep deprivation can impact your health. Most people recognize that if they don’t get enough sleep, their mood and memory will suffer the next day.

       
Released: 15-Mar-2023 3:35 PM EDT
Study Offers a Potential Strategy to Improve T Cell Therapy in Solid Tumors
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

A new approach that delivers a “one-two punch” to help T cells attack solid tumors is the focus of a preclinical study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Released: 15-Mar-2023 2:40 PM EDT
Immune cell gives possible explanation for sex differences in pancreatic cancer
Karolinska Institute

Immunotherapy is an effective form of therapy for different types of cancer. However, for pancreatic cancer, its effect is limited and differs between men and women.

Newswise: CoDe tool makes vaccine development faster and more accurate
Released: 15-Mar-2023 1:40 PM EDT
CoDe tool makes vaccine development faster and more accurate
Texas Biomedical Research Institute

A new software tool developed by Texas Biomedical Research Institute and collaborators can help scientists and vaccine developers quickly edit genetic blueprints of pathogens to make them less harmful. The tool, called CoDe – short for Codon Deoptimization – enables users to make precise edits to a genetic code to make genes less functional – in other words, to deoptimize the genes.

Released: 15-Mar-2023 12:05 PM EDT
Common cold gives children immunity against COVID-19
Karolinska Institute

During the pandemic, it became clear that children who contracted COVID-19 became less ill than adults.

Newswise:Video Embedded designing-more-useful-bacteria
VIDEO
14-Mar-2023 4:40 PM EDT
Designing More Useful Bacteria
Harvard Medical School

In a step forward for genetic engineering and synthetic biology, researchers have modified a strain of Escherichia coli bacteria to be immune to natural viral infections while also minimizing the potential for the bacteria or their modified genes to escape into the wild.

Released: 14-Mar-2023 6:50 PM EDT
Molecular component of caffeine may play a role in gut health
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

The gut is home to a cast of microbes that influence health and disease. Some types of microorganisms are thought to contribute to the development of inflammatory conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but the exact cascade of events that leads from microbes to immune cells to disease remains mysterious.

Released: 14-Mar-2023 11:20 AM EDT
COVID-19 discovery could protect high-risk patients
University of Virginia Health System

UVA Health researchers have identified a potential treatment to prevent severe COVID-19 in patients at great risk.

Released: 13-Mar-2023 2:40 PM EDT
Brazilian researchers investigate diversity of E. coli bacteria in hospitalized patients
Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)

The human intestine is an environment inhabited by many bacteria and other microorganisms collectively known as the gut microbiome, gut microbiota or intestinal flora.

Newswise: A Potential New Target for Head and Neck Cancer Immunotherapy
Released: 13-Mar-2023 12:45 PM EDT
A Potential New Target for Head and Neck Cancer Immunotherapy
University of California San Diego

UC San Diego researchers have identified a strong association between the product of a gene expressed in most cancers and elevated levels of white blood cells that produce antibodies within tumors, suggesting a new therapeutic target.

Released: 13-Mar-2023 12:40 PM EDT
Gut Microbiome Influences How Lymphoma Patients Respond to CAR T Therapy
Moffitt Cancer Center

In a new study published in Nature Medicine, Moffitt Cancer Center physician-scientists, in collaboration with four cancer centers in the United States and Germany, reveal how microorganisms in the gut influence non-Hodgkin lymphoma patient outcomes to a type of cellular immunotherapy called chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, or CAR T.

Newswise: Avian influenza viruses could spawn the next human pandemic
Released: 13-Mar-2023 11:05 AM EDT
Avian influenza viruses could spawn the next human pandemic
University of Sydney

The next pandemic that cascades through the human population could be caused by a new influenza virus strain concocted in animals, against which humans will have little to no immunity.

   
10-Mar-2023 12:00 PM EST
Not getting enough sleep could blunt antibody response to vaccination, leaving you more vulnerable to infection
University of Chicago Medical Center

In reviewing data from previous studies, a team lead by researchers at the University of Chicago and the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) found that individuals who had fewer than six hours of sleep per night in the days surrounding vaccination had a blunted antibody response. That indicates efforts to promote heathy sleep duration ahead of an immunization could be an easy way to improve vaccine effectiveness.

9-Mar-2023 5:25 PM EST
Too little sleep could make vaccination less effective
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Sleeping fewer than six hours per night around the time of vaccination was associated with a robust decrease in antibody response, researchers found.

Newswise: Immune cells have a backup mechanism
Released: 10-Mar-2023 5:20 PM EST
Immune cells have a backup mechanism
University of Bonn

The enzyme TBK1 is an important component of the innate immune system that plays a critical role in the defense against viruses. Upon mutation-induced loss of TBK1 function, patients show an increased susceptibility to viral infections.

Released: 10-Mar-2023 4:30 PM EST
Migratory birds take breaks to boost their immune system
Lund University

Exercising too much and not getting enough rest is bad for your health. A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that the same is true for migratory birds. They need to rest not only to renew their energy levels but also in order to boost their immune system.

Newswise: Bosenberg named Brady Professor of Dermatology, Pathology and Immunobiology
Released: 9-Mar-2023 4:30 PM EST
Bosenberg named Brady Professor of Dermatology, Pathology and Immunobiology
Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital

Dr. Marcus Bosenberg, an accomplished clinician, teacher, and researcher who studies the factors that regulate anti-cancer immune responses, was recently appointed the Anthony N. Brady Professor of Dermatology, Pathology, and Immunobiology, effective immediately.Bosenberg received his Ph.D. and M.D. at Cornell University Medical College.

Newswise: New Class of Drugs May Prevent Infection by Wide Range of COVID-19 Variants
Released: 9-Mar-2023 11:05 AM EST
New Class of Drugs May Prevent Infection by Wide Range of COVID-19 Variants
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

A new class of oral drugs can inhibit a wide range of SARS-CoV-2 variants, researchers report, potentially identifying new antiviral agents providing broad activity against the constantly emerging new strains of the COVID-19 virus

Newswise: Healthy gut bacteria can help fight cancer in other parts of the body, UTSW researchers find
Released: 9-Mar-2023 10:15 AM EST
Healthy gut bacteria can help fight cancer in other parts of the body, UTSW researchers find
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered how healthy bacteria can escape the intestine, travel to lymph nodes and cancerous tumors elsewhere in the body, and boost the effectiveness of certain immunotherapy drugs. The findings, published in Science Immunology, shed light on why antibiotics can weaken the effect of immunotherapies and could lead to new cancer treatments.

Released: 8-Mar-2023 7:05 PM EST
Fresh understanding of ageing in the brain offers hope for treating neurological diseases
Trinity College Dublin

Scientists from the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute (TBSI) have shed new light on ageing processes in the brain. By linking the increased presence of specialised immune cells to conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury for the first time, they have unearthed a possible new target for therapies aimed at treating age-related neurological diseases.

Released: 8-Mar-2023 5:15 PM EST
Study associates long COVID with physical inactivity
Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)

The link between symptoms of COVID-19 and physical inactivity is increasingly evident. An article recently published in the journal Scientific Reports by researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil describes a study in which COVID-19 survivors with at least one persistent symptom of the disease were 57% more likely to be sedentary, and the presence of five or more post-acute sequelae of infection by SARS-CoV-2 increased the odds of physical inactivity by 138%.

Released: 8-Mar-2023 12:40 PM EST
New Study: Abatacept Therapy Offers Promising Results Treating Juvenile Dermatomyositis
George Washington University

Juvenile dermatomyositis, a rare but often severe and chronic systemic autoimmune disease, includes a large number of patients who are treatment resistant, requiring long term immunosuppressive therapy. A small open-label study published in Arthritis and Rheumatology shows promise using a targeted biologic therapy called abatacept to treat such patients.

Released: 8-Mar-2023 12:20 PM EST
First nasal monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19 shows promise for treating virus, other diseases
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

A pilot trial by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, tested the nasal administration of the drug Foralumab, an anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody.

Released: 8-Mar-2023 12:00 PM EST
MD Anderson Research Highlights for March 8, 2023
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back.

   
6-Mar-2023 9:55 AM EST
New details on how immune cells ‘see’ and respond to mutations in cancer cells may lead to more targeted and effective immunotherapy
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

For the first time, a research team has identified and analyzed the steps by which immune cells “see” and respond to cancer cells, providing insights into reasons some treatments may be effective for certain patients but not others.

Newswise: Two-pronged immunotherapy eliminates metastatic breast cancer in mice
7-Mar-2023 6:40 PM EST
Two-pronged immunotherapy eliminates metastatic breast cancer in mice
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a way to treat the area surrounding breast tumors that have spread to bone so that such tumors become vulnerable to attack by the body’s immune system. When the researchers boosted the activity of certain immune cells, called T cells and macrophages, these immune cells worked together to clear metastatic breast tumors that had spread to the bones of mice.

28-Feb-2023 5:05 PM EST
Modifying messenger RNA may provide a new target for Alzheimer’s disease
PLOS

Reducing the methylation of a key messenger RNA can promote migration of macrophages into the brain and ameliorate symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in a mouse model, according to a new study publishing March 7th in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Rui Zhang of Air Force Medical University in Xian, Shaanxi, China. The results illuminate one pathway for entrance of peripheral immune cells into the brain, and may provide a new target for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Released: 7-Mar-2023 6:35 PM EST
Stress memory in plants could hold key to growing disease resistant crops
University of Sheffield

Biotic stress experienced by plants can take the form of attacks by insect herbivores or disease-causing pathogens. In crops grown for food production, this stress provides a substantial risk to crop yields and is currently managed with the widespread use of pesticides, which are damaging for the environment and can pose a risk to human health.

Released: 7-Mar-2023 6:05 PM EST
The 6 Top Mold Allergy Symptoms in Adults
Ochsner Health

As Spring is upon us, Ochsner Health has Allergy and Immunology experts available.

Newswise: How does the immune system react to altered gravity?
Released: 7-Mar-2023 5:25 PM EST
How does the immune system react to altered gravity?
University of Barcelona

Space travel has always tested the human body by the effects of the new conditions of altered gravity on biological systems.

   
Released: 6-Mar-2023 7:20 PM EST
The next pandemic: Researchers develop tool to identify existing drugs to use in a future outbreak
New York University

A global team of researchers has created an algorithmic tool that can identify existing drugs in order to combat future pandemics. The work, reported in the Cell Press journal Heliyon, offers the possibility of responding more quickly to public-health crises.

Newswise: With $13M, UIC scientists will study lung inflammation mechanisms
Released: 6-Mar-2023 5:05 PM EST
With $13M, UIC scientists will study lung inflammation mechanisms
University of Illinois Chicago

The research team consists of six investigators who will lead three separate project grants and three separate cores, in the hopes of finding new avenues for research and treatments to help patients who suffer from conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, pulmonary fibrosis and acute respiratory distress disorder, a common and serious complication of COVID-19.

Newswise: Temperature-stable TB vaccine safe, prompts immune response in NIH-supported study
Released: 6-Mar-2023 2:05 PM EST
Temperature-stable TB vaccine safe, prompts immune response in NIH-supported study
NIH, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

A clinical trial testing a freeze-dried, temperature-stable experimental tuberculosis (TB) vaccine in healthy adults found that it was safe and stimulated both antibodies and responses from the cellular arm of the immune system.

Released: 6-Mar-2023 12:00 PM EST
Depression linked to deadly inflammation in lung cancer patients
Ohio State University

Lung cancer patients with moderate to severe depression are 2 to 3 times more likely to have inflammation levels that predict poor survival rates, a new study found. The results may help explain why a substantial portion of lung cancer patients fail to respond to new immunotherapy and targeted treatments that have led to significantly longer survival for many people with the disease.

Newswise: Eradicating Polio Will Require Changing the Current Public Health Strategy
6-Mar-2023 10:00 AM EST
Eradicating Polio Will Require Changing the Current Public Health Strategy
Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine

The recent public health emergency declarations in New York and London due to polio infections and detection of the virus in these cities’ wastewater strongly indicate that polio is no longer close to being eradicated. Now, four members of the Global Virus Network (GVN) proposed changes in global polio eradication strategy to get the world back on track to one day eliminating polio’s threat.

Released: 2-Mar-2023 4:45 PM EST
UChicago Medicine-led team selected for the 2022 Michael & Lori Milken Family Foundation-PCF Challenge Award to develop novel immunotherapy approaches in advanced prostate cancer
University of Chicago Medical Center

The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) has awarded a $1 million grant to a renowned specialist at the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Released: 2-Mar-2023 4:00 PM EST
Newly identified personalized immunotherapy combination treats an aggressive form of advanced prostate cancer
University of Chicago Medical Center

A combination treatment that targets the immune system helps treat aggressive prostate cancers that don’t respond to conventional therapies.

Released: 2-Mar-2023 2:15 PM EST
How Gut Microbes Help Mend Damaged Muscles
Harvard Medical School

Now, in a surprising new discovery, Harvard Medical School researchers have found that a class of regulatory T cells (Tregs) made in the gut play a role in repairing injured muscles and mending damaged livers. In an even more unexpected twist, the researchers found that gut microbes fuel the production of Tregs, which act as immune healers that go on patrol around the body and respond to distress signals from distant sites of injury.

Released: 2-Mar-2023 2:00 PM EST
Sleep too much or too little and you might get sick more, scientists find
Frontiers

A good night’s sleep can solve all sorts of problems – but scientists have now discovered new evidence that sleeping well may make you less vulnerable to infection.

Newswise: As allergy season approaches, UTSW physician offers tips on treatment, prevention
Released: 2-Mar-2023 1:05 PM EST
As allergy season approaches, UTSW physician offers tips on treatment, prevention
UT Southwestern Medical Center

It’s almost that dreaded time of year, when spring and summer allergies can make life miserable for many. Ashley Agan, M.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center, said steps can be taken to control symptoms and prevent infections.

Newswise: UK HealthCare neurologist working to improve access to MS treatments
Released: 2-Mar-2023 11:05 AM EST
UK HealthCare neurologist working to improve access to MS treatments
University of Kentucky

Together with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) experts, biostatisticians and clinicians from across the globe, a UK HealthCare neurologist has helped compile an essential list of MS medications for patients in resource-poor settings. Jagannadha “Jay” Avasarala, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Comprehensive Care Center for MS and Neuroimmunology at the Kentucky Neuroscience Institute, currently serves as a panel member of the Multiple Sclerosis International Foundation (MSIF) and previously served as chair of the American Academy of Neurology (2020-22).



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