Feature Channels: Immunology

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Treatments with PD-1/PD-L1 immuno-checkpoint inhibitors are potentially related to adverse events in patients with metastatic Non-Small-Cell-Lung Cancer (mNSCLC).

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Researchers have identified a promising strategy for development of broad-spectrum antiviral therapies that centers around promoting a strong immune response capable of stopping a number of viruses in their infectious tracks.

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Moffitt Cancer Center researchers wanted to determine how PERK activity impacts the clinical outcomes of patients with melanoma. Their results are published in a new article in Cancer Cell.

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University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers have identified how multiple genes of SARS-CoV-2 affect disease severity, which could lead to new ways in how we develop future vaccines or develop newer treatments. The genes control the immune system of the host, contributing to how fiercely the body responds to a COVID-19 infection.

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A meta-analysis of 32 studies showed that the immune system within the vagina ebbs and flows, depending on menstrual-cycle stage. The analysis identified 53 distinct messages that immune cells sent to one another.

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A research team led by a University of Massachusetts Amherst scientist has made a significant genetic discovery that sheds light on the use of the drug caspofungin to treat a deadly fungal infection, Aspergillus fumigatus, which kills some 100,000 severely immunocompromised people each year.

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Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine have discovered that the organization of different types of immune cells within pancreatic tumors is associated with how well patients with pancreatic cancer respond to treatment and how long they survive.

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Removing ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) patients’ own dysfunctional cells, fixing them, then putting them back in patients’ bodies is a safe, well tolerated process that has been shown to slow or halt disease progression in a small number of patients, according to a study by the Houston Methodist Research Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital

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An international team of researchers has demonstrated that among patients hospitalized for influenza, those who were vaccinated had less severe infections, including reducing the odds for children requiring admittance to an intensive care unit by almost half.

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In one of the largest single-center COVID-19 cohort studies to date, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, using samples collected during the peak of the pandemic in New York City, have identified a key driver of COVID-19 disease severity.

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Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology have uncovered an immune cell defect tied to the risk of developing MAC disease (a relative of tuberculosis).

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Study shows how certain cancers neutralize T cells to subvert the immune system and help tumors grow

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T cells engineered to target the cell protein GPRC5D produced impressive results in its first clinical trial in patients with multiple myeloma, researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center report in a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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A new study in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology shows that a first-of-its-kind program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) can help children with food allergy-related anxiety reduce their fears and improve their quality of life. The Food Allergy Bravery (FAB) program at CHOP provides cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in five to eight sessions to children who have severe anxiety related to their food allergies.

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A new study focused on the immune system’s Th17 cells suggests that the shape and function of their mitochondria (the powerhouse of cells) is important in autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, such as multiple sclerosis.

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Ricardo Rajsbaum understands killers. Like a criminal investigator tracking prey, the Rutgers virologist spends his days researching the enemy. Rather than obsessing over a madman’s next move, however, Rajsbaum’s focus is on the microscopic viruses that infect human cells – sometimes with deadly consequences.

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Irvine, Calif., Sept. 26, 2022 – The University of California, Irvine has been awarded a five-year, $13.8 million contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to conduct detailed immune profiling of lipid nanoparticles to increase understanding of their role in enhancing vaccine protective responses and in causing side effects.

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With the rollout of boosters of life-saving vaccines, new treatments, and a large population already infected, the U.S. is in a less vulnerable place than it was in 2020. However, the death toll, while lower than before, is still at around 400 deaths per day from COVID-19 in the U.S.

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FINDINGS Women with COVID in pregnancy who are subsequently vaccinated after recovery, but prior to delivery, are more likely to pass antibodies on to the child than similarly infected but unvaccinated mothers are. Researchers who studied a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated mothers found that 78% of their infants tested at birth had antibodies.

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The team of Prof. Alain Vanderplasschen, virologist and immunologist at the University of Liège, has published an article in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, reporting ten years of research on how a carp virus has been using a protein domain called Zalpha (Zα) to inhibit the defence mechanisms of the host cell.

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Two recent UC Davis studies reveal how skin forms differently across different areas of the body from the face and underarms to the palms of our hands and feet. By profiling the changes in skin, researchers found that the differences have a direct impact for how various skin diseases form across the body.

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LJI research shows that a "slow delivery, escalating dose" vaccination strategy can prompt B cells to spend months mutating and evolving their pathogen-fighting antibodies.

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Mount Sinai study also shows catching up on sleep doesn’t reverse possible negative effects on cellular level

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Though well-known as a respiratory illness, COVID-19 can also affect the nervous system. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Infectious Diseases have developed a new tool and possible vaccine candidate that could help scientists understand how SARS-CoV-2 could be invading these cells.

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Fungal pathogens have a major global impact upon human health – they are often difficult to diagnose and treat, and there is an urgent need for better diagnostics and more effective antifungal treatments.

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Lower immunity and recurring infections are common in type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

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Physicians & health professionals from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) along with rheumatology patients gathered on Capitol Hill this week for the annual Advocates for Arthritis event to urge lawmakers to take action on a range of policy issues affecting patient access to care.

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“We are delighted that Dick Bodman is rejoining our Board of Directors and to welcome Fred Miller to LJI as our newest board member."

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“But what we’re seeing now is that the placenta is vulnerable to COVID-19, and the infection changes the way the placenta works, and that in turn is likely to impact the development of the fetus,” Dr. Kristina Adams Waldorf said.

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It’s been known for decades that astronauts’ immune systems become suppressed in space, leaving them vulnerable to disease, but the exact mechanisms of immune dysfunction have remained a mystery – now a Cornell undergraduate has found a potential solution.

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Drew Pardoll, M.D., Ph.D., and Suzanne Topalian, M.D., leading cancer immunotherapy investigators in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and Kimmel Cancer Center, have been named by the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) as Fellows of the Academy of Immuno-Oncology.

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Researchers from Cleveland Clinic’s Florida Research and Innovation Center (FRIC) found that disruption of a cellular structure, known as the actin cytoskeleton, is a “priming signal” for the body to respond to a virus. These findings, published in Cell this week, potentially lay the groundwork for development of new anti-viral vaccines and treatments.

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A study assessed resident physicians’ perceptions, coping strategies and self-reported levels of depression, anxiety and stress experienced during the early phase of the pandemic. Results showed that 88.1 percent felt they were likely or very likely to become infected with COVID-19. If infected, 28.8 percent felt that their illness would be serious or very serious. With respect to depression, anxiety and stress, all the mean scores were in the normal range. For depression, residents in emergency medicine and surgery reported higher levels. The top three coping strategies included acceptance, self-distraction, and use of emotional support. The three least used strategies included behavioral disengagement, substance use and denial.

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On behalf of the nation's radiation oncologists and the more than one million people with cancer they will treat this year, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) applauded today's House passage of bipartisan federal legislation that would rein in restrictive prior authorization practices that delay patient access to critical cancer treatments.

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Rutgers Cancer Institute expert shares evidence-based cancer information with this population and steps that can be taken now to prevent and reduce risk of disease.

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A set of interacting molecules in immune cells of the gut is responsible for preventing the inflammation seen in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), UT Southwestern researchers report in a new study. The findings, published in Cell Reports, suggest a new drug target for treating IBD and related conditions.

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The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA has been awarded a $13.6 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to continue to study the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and the long-term impact of infection among U.S. health care workers. The new yearlong grant project follows the 2020–21 Preventing Emerging Infections Through Vaccine Effectiveness Testing study, or PREVENT I, which was among the first to demonstrate the real-world benefit of mRNA vaccines in preventing symptomatic infection following their authorization by the Food and Drug Administration.

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Scientists solve mystery of how Zika virus targets key immune cell. New finding shed light on how to stop virus from spreading.

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A fungus that is a common cause of fungal meningitis undergoes a remarkable transformation once it enters the body, allowing it to infect the brain, according to new research by scientists at University of Utah Health. Studies in mice show that as the fungal intruder travels through the body, it shrinks and acquires characteristics that help infection to spread, all in a matter of days. The discovery could lead to new strategies for blocking Cryptococcus neoformans infection and preventing detrimental effects on the host.