Autoimmune Disease News and Research

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Autoimmune Disease is a condition in which the body recognizes its own tissues as foreign and directs an immune response against them.

Immune system’s killer T cells make mistakes in distinguishing healthy from infectious cell

When it comes to differentiating between a healthy cell and an infectious cell that has to be killed, the immune system’s killer T cells might make mistakes.

27 May 2021

Scientists identify the language the body uses to marshal responses to threats

UCLA life scientists have identified six "words" that specific immune cells use to call up immune defense genes -- an important step toward understanding the language the body uses to marshal responses to threats.

13 May 2021

New breakthrough in understanding the role of high-risk immune genes in rheumatoid arthritis

Researchers within the Biomedicine Discovery Institute at Monash University have made a breakthrough in understanding the role played by high-risk immune genes associated with the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

19 Apr 2021

Researchers generate thyroid mini-organs in the lab

Hormones produced by the thyroid gland are essential regulators of organ function. The absence of these hormones either through thyroid dysfunction due to, for example, irradiation, thyroid cancer or autoimmune disease or thyroidectomy leads to symptoms like fatigue, feeling cold, constipation, and weight gain.

12 Mar 2021

Hyperactive RANK protein could trigger autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases, in which the body's own immune system attacks healthy tissue, can be life-threatening and can impact all organs.

3 Feb 2021

Researchers identify key molecule involved in immune regulation

The majority of the molecules in human bodies support the immune system to keep individuals healthy but they do so without reacting excessively, as this may otherwise drive the immune cells to cause problems, like autoimmune disorders.

29 Jan 2021

TBI: Increased levels of immune cells promote inflammation that may worsen brain damage

Immediately after a traumatic brain injury and as long as one year later, there are increased levels of immune cells called ILCs in the brain promoting inflammation, which can worsen brain damage, scientists report.

27 Jan 2021

Study may lead to new treatments for autoimmune diseases

According to a research team, headed by Decio L. Eizirik, MD, PhD, a Scientific Director from the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute Diabetes Center, new treatments for autoimmune disorders can be identified by studying both target tissues and the immune system together.

7 Jan 2021

Main bioactive compound of ginger root counteracts autoimmune diseases in mice

Naturopathic medicine, or herbal medicine, is all the rage, especially among young people. But how much of this is supported by science?

7 Jan 2021

Researchers discover protein that may trigger lung scarring

Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune disease associated with inflammation and fibrosis, or scarring, that affects organs including the skin, heart, kidney and lungs.

18 Dec 2020

Researchers identify new therapeutic target to treat type 1 diabetes

Scientists from the University of Utah School of Medicine have discovered a novel therapeutic target to treat type 1 diabetic patients.

10 Dec 2020

Researchers target pathogenic T cells that could lead to new immunotherapy treatments

According to a new study, a novel T cell genetically engineered by scientists from The University of Arizona Health Sciences can target and attack pathogenic T cells that are responsible for causing Type 1 diabetes. These latest findings may result in new immunotherapy therapies.

7 Dec 2020

Scientists identify a genetic basis for ANCA-associated vasculitis

Autoimmune disease is fundamentally a mystery: whyever should an organism systematically set out to harm itself? Now, researchers at the University of Tsukuba have identified a genetic basis for anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis, an autoimmune systemic disease that damages organs by targeting small blood vessels in a genetic association study.

5 Nov 2020

Researchers to explore the role of gut microbes in childhood celiac disease

Boston College Assistant Professor of Biology Emrah Altindis has received a three-year, $300,000-grant from the G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation for research into childhood celiac disease.

4 Nov 2020

Study identifies genes and molecular pathways most sensitive to chemical exposures

A University of Massachusetts Amherst environmental health scientist has used an unprecedented objective approach to identify which molecular mechanisms in mammals are the most sensitive to chemical exposures.

30 Oct 2020

Targeting DEL-1 molecule could be an effective way to treat autoimmune disease

Immune response is a balancing act: Too much can lead to inflammatory or autoimmune disease; too little could lead to a serious infection. Regulatory T cells, or Tregs, are important players in striking this balance, acting as "brakes" on the immune response so it doesn't go overboard.

27 Oct 2020

New strategy for capturing interactions among glycans and protein activators in live cells

Human cells are encased by a membrane coated with diverse sugar molecules known as glycans. These glycans play many roles in health and disease, making them important to understand.

20 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 may induce long-term autoimmune disorder due to self-glycan antibody production

A new study indicated that many of the unusual symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infections may be due to induced autoimmune responses.

20 Oct 2020

Severe cases of COVID-19 resemble systemic lupus erythematosus

Scientists from Emory Health Sciences have been observing an intense stimulation of immune cells in severe cases of COVID-19 disease. This activation of immune cells is similar to acute flares of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)—an autoimmune disease.

13 Oct 2020

Researchers map genetic networks controlling human regulatory T cell identity

Unlike most T cells, which launch immune responses against foreign molecules, regulatory T cells are the peacekeepers of the human immune system, damping down inflammatory reactions when they're not needed.

5 Oct 2020