Allergy News and Research

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The term allergy encompasses a wide range of conditions; it is not a disease in itself. In 1906 Clemens von Pirquet was the first to describe allergies as a changed or altered reaction of the immune system in response to exposure to foreign proteins. These days the term allergy – medically termed hypersensitivity, signifies an exaggerated reaction to foreign substances.

Plant compound may be a good therapeutic candidate for treating food allergies

Researchers combined advanced computational methods with experimental studies to gain new insight, at the cell level, into how the plant compound formononetin might be used to treat food allergies.

4 Apr 2022

Tuberculosis causes early epigenetic aging in cells, study finds

In the current study, scientists at Baylor College of Medicine identified that the cells of humans and animals that recovered from tuberculosis had prematurely aged up to 12 to 14 years.

25 Mar 2022

Immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus likely to protect against omicron

People who developed immunity to SARS-CoV-2, either by vaccination or contact, are expected to get some protection against the pathogen’s omicron version.

16 Mar 2022

Specific gene variant linked with poor response to sublingual immunotherapy for allergies

Although sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) has become an effective treatment option for many allergies, about 20-30% of patients don’t respond to SLIT for Japanese cedar pollinosis–a highly common disease.

8 Mar 2022

Researchers analyze how natural killer cells respond to COVID-19

Little is understood until today on how the immune system’s natural killer (NK) cells identify which cells are infected with SARS-CoV-2.

24 Feb 2022

UGA research determines when pollen comes of age

It cakes our cars in yellow powder every spring and taunts allergy sufferers for months on end, but pollen is more than just plant sperm.

From University of Georgia 23 Feb 2022

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing is now feasible in ticks

Researchers have successfully used CRISPR-Cas9 to edit the genomes of the black-legged tick. To accomplish this feat, they developed an embryo injection protocol that overcame a major barrier in the field.

17 Feb 2022

Experts explore the relationships between diet, gut bacteria, and metabolites

Researchers currently understand that the microorganisms that dwell in human intestines—the microbiome—have a wide range of effects on human health.

14 Feb 2022

San Antonio researchers report a new mechanistic target for leukemia drug development

Scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio believe it may be possible to prevent DNA changes driven by two proteins highly active in leukemia and other cancers.

7 Feb 2022

COVID-19 vaccines prompt the body to make long-lasting T cells against different variants

Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have found that four COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, J&J/Janssen, and Novavax) prompt the body to make effective, long-lasting T cells against SARS-CoV-2.

25 Jan 2022

Study identifies respiratory syncytial viral protein that mediates RSV-induced autophagy

A viral protein might contain information that could be used to avoid pneumonia due to the body’s overactive response to respiratory viruses, such as COVID-19.

20 Jan 2022

Blocking function of blood-clotting protein prevents bone loss from gum disease in mice

Blocking function of a blood-clotting protein prevented bone loss from periodontal (gum) disease in mice, according to research led by scientists at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), part of the National Institutes of Health.

24 Dec 2021

New nanoparticle adjuvant could lead to more powerful vaccines

A common strategy to make vaccines more powerful is to deliver them along with an adjuvant -; a compound that stimulates the immune system to produce a stronger response.

6 Dec 2021

Treatment with common allergy medication linked to improved immunotherapy response

New research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that treatment with antihistamines, a commonly used allergy medication, was associated with improved responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

29 Nov 2021

Researchers expand understanding of how T cells recognize infections or disease

T cells communicate with other cells in the body in search of infections or diseases. This crosstalk relies on specialized receptors known as T cell receptors that recognize foreign molecular fragments from an infection or cancer that are presented for detection by particular molecules called major histocompatibility complex (MHC) or MHC-like.

23 Nov 2021

Novel therapy induces phagocytosis to treat bacterial pneumonia

Scientists from the National Institutes of Health recently found a therapy that targets host cells instead of bacterial cells in treating bacterial pneumonia.

17 Nov 2021

Study identifies a compound capable of easing symptoms of coronavirus infections

A group of researchers recently discovered a compound that reveals potential in alleviating the symptoms of coronavirus infections.

8 Nov 2021

Low dose of pollutants in food leads to high activation of antibodies that cause allergic response

Exposure to the heavy metal cadmium is known to irritate the stomach and lungs or cause kidney disease, but new research links another health issue to inadvertently ingesting low doses of the pollutant: high activation of the antibodies that cause an allergic response.

27 Oct 2021

Study identifies highly potent monoclonal antibody against all SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers identified a greatly potent monoclonal antibody that aims at the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2.

19 Oct 2021

Delta opioid receptor agonists modulate immune responses to ameliorate colonic inflammation

Opioids are a class of substances that control sensations such as pain and emotions in animals. While plant-derived opioid narcotics such as morphine are the most well-recognized, other opioid molecules like endorphins can also be synthesized by the body or artificially developed in laboratories.

From Tokyo University of Science 1 Oct 2021