Feature Channels: Immunology

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Scientists at the University of Michigan fabricated a nanoparticle to deliver an inhibitor to brain tumor in mouse models, where the drug successfully turned on the immune system to eliminate the cancer. The process also triggered immune memory so that a reintroduced tumor was eliminated—a sign that this potential new approach could not only treat brain tumors but prevent or delay recurrences.

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In a new study, researchers at the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center and the University of Amsterdam have brought insight into one crucial step in the anti-cancer immune response process: T cell priming.

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Immune response and the lymphatic system are central to cardiac repair after a heart attack, according to a study from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University Feinberg Cardiovascular Research Institute. These insights into the basic mechanisms of cardiac repair are the first step towards developing novel therapeutic approaches to preserve heart function. Findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

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An international team led by a University of Toronto researcher has found that an antibody detectable in blood predicts severe Crohn’s disease and is detectable up to seven years prior to disease diagnosis.

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Study found that some drugs were on the market for over five years with no confirmed clinical benefit.

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Young children who grow up with a dog or in a large family may have some protection later in life from a common inflammatory bowel disease known as Crohn’s disease, according to a study to be presented at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2022.

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Getting the COVID-19 vaccination strengthened one type of immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients even though they were taking immunosuppressant medication, according to investigators at Cedars-Sinai.

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Genetic factors played a greater role in a person's overall wellbeing as the pandemic wore on.

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A COVID-19 booster shot will provide strong and broad antibody protection against the range of omicron sublineage variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in circulation, two new studies using serum from human blood samples suggest.

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New research using a mouse model for multiple sclerosis has uncovered a potential new area to explore for possible treatments for autoimmune disorders.

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McMaster University researchers have discovered that Type I interferon (IFN) plays a key role in helping the immune system effectively target viruses, while stopping white blood cells from ‘going rogue’ and attacking the body’s own organs.

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New research from scientists at UC Davis Health provides clues for how friendly bacteria in the gut — probiotics — may help eradicate bacterial pathogens like Salmonella by being able to compete with them for needed resources.

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COVID-19, MIS-C and KD all share a similar underlying mechanism involving the over-activation of particular inflammatory pathways, UC San Diego study shows. Findings support novel drug targets for MIS-C.

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Researchers have shown for the first time in mice that heart problems seen in some of the sickest flu patients are caused by direct influenza infection of cardiac cells.

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A study led by UC Davis Cancer Center identified a binding protein in cancer cell’s nucleus, known as CHD4, as a critical agent keeping Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) dormant and undetected by the body’s immune system. CHD4 is linked to cancer cell growth in many types of cancers.

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Ten years ago, Tom and Kari Whitehead came to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) looking for a miracle. Their 6-year-old daughter, Emily, had relapsed in her battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), after many months of unsuccessful chemotherapy and a disease that had progressed so rapidly that she was ineligible for a bone marrow transplant to treat it. Her family came to CHOP in the hopes that Dr. Stephan Grupp, a pioneer in the field of cellular immunotherapy, could provide the miracle they were looking for.

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Researchers at MD Anderson and Ochsner Health have uncovered that in immunotherapy, a particular cytokine is expressed at higher levels in colitis tissue than in cancer tissue.

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To treat and prevent these diseases, researchers need to understand why a lack of oxygen would affect the immune system.

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Pfizer has NOT declared their COVID vaccines unsafe for pregnancy and breastfeeding women, despite misleading claims on social media, nor have they said that the real efficacy rate for their vaccine (COMIRNATY) is 12 percent.

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Scar-like cells that make up a sizable portion of malignant pancreatic tumors and shield these cancers from immune attack are derived from mesothelial cells that line tissues and organs, a new study led by UT Southwestern researchers suggests. The findings, published in Cancer Cell, could offer a new strategy to fight pancreatic cancer, a deadly disease for which no truly effective treatments exist.

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A new study finds that the normal-appearing skin of lupus patients contains the same inflammatory signals that are detected when the skin develops a rash, sometimes at even higher levels. Researchers say immune cells undergo an inflammatory transformation that primes the skin without rashes for disease flares.

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Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a $6 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to harness new understandings of the immune system to develop innovative therapies for heart failure and the prevention of organ rejection following heart transplantation.

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If you’re wondering why after two vaccination doses and a booster shot, you still got sick from the omicron strain of the virus that causes COVID-19, one possible answer may have been found in a recent study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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Ted Ross, Ph.D., has been appointed Global Director of Vaccine Development at Cleveland Clinic. In this newly created role, he will lead the development of novel vaccine platforms for a variety of infectious diseases, including influenza, HIV and COVID-19. A highly renowned scientist with expertise in virology, vaccines, immunology and microbiology, Dr. Ross’ research focuses on the design of new vaccines and the implementation of new vaccine trials.

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In a research letter to the journal JAMA Oncology, clinical researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine showed that immunotherapy can be an option for at least one subgroup of pancreatic cancer patients. The study found that patients with inherited BRCA and other similar mutations can achieve complete responses — in some cases going from near death to durable recoveries.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.