Immune System News and Research

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Specialized proteins could help combat severe cytokine storms in COVID-19 patients

One of the defining features of COVID-19 is the excessive immune response that can occur in severe cases. This burst of immune overreaction, also called a cytokine storm, damages the lungs and can be fatal.

17 Apr 2020

Experience Matters For Immune Cells

The discovery that immune T cells have a spectrum of responsiveness could shed light on how our immune system responds to infections and cancer.

17 Apr 2020

Deadliest Malaria Strain Protects Itself From The Immune System

The parasite causing the most severe form of human malaria uses proteins to make red blood cells sticky, making it harder for the immune system to destroy it.

17 Apr 2020

Study shows how vulnerable cells armor themselves against infection

Cells in some of the body's most vulnerable entry routes to bacterial infection buffer themselves when the immune system detects danger by reorganizing the cholesterol on their surfaces, a new study led by UTSW scientists suggests.

16 Apr 2020

Improving drug targets for asthma and rheumatoid arthritis

Researchers have found that immune T cells exhibit a range of responsiveness. This finding could offer insights into how the immune system of humans responds to infections and cancer, and what goes wrong in immune diseases.

16 Apr 2020

New algorithm predicts the evolution of genetic mutations in species

David McCandlish and Juannan Zhou, both quantitative biologists at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, have designed a new algorithm that has predictive power, providing researchers the ability to observe the way particular genetic mutations combine to make crucial proteins change over the duration of a species’ evolution.

16 Apr 2020

How human cells recognize undesirable guests

Until now, the immune sensor TLR8 has remained in the shadows of science. A research team led by the University of Bonn has now discovered how this sensor plays an important role in defending human cells against intruders.

15 Apr 2020

Plant genes control microbiome diversity inside leaves to stay healthy

In a new study, published in the journal Nature, Michigan State University scientists show how plant genes select which microbes get to live inside their leaves in order to stay healthy.

14 Apr 2020

Role of VRAC ion channel in fight against virus infections

VRAC/LRRC8 chloride channels play a crucial role in the transport of neurotransmitters, amino acids, and cytostatics.

14 Apr 2020

Drinking Green Tea May Help With Food Allergies

Research findings suggest gut microbes can affect allergic immune responses.

10 Apr 2020

Using expansion microscopy for research on fungi

Fungi play an important role for mankind. In the soil, they decompose dead organic material, making it accessible to plants as a nutrient.

8 Apr 2020

The Architecture Of A 'Shape-Shifting' Norovirus

Created from 13,000 separate images taken by an electron microscope, it reveals in rich detail the structure of the virus.

2 Apr 2020

Researchers Discover Potential Boost To Immunotherapy

Researchers have discovered a pathway that regulates special immune system cells in lung cancer tumors, suppressing them and allowing tumors to grow.

2 Apr 2020

New cell therapy proves effective in human and mouse tumor models

A new study published recently in eLife reports that researchers have developed new immunotherapy that eliminates solid tumors in mice without causing detrimental side effects.

1 Apr 2020

Epigenetic controls of T cells can help treat Type 1 diabetes

At St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, researchers have generated a database that detects gene-regulatory mechanisms in immune cells that promote Type 1 diabetes.

31 Mar 2020

New strategy can help treat diabetes and other diseases

Transplanted islet cells that release insulin during very low blood sugar levels offer a potential way for treating diabetes.

From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 31 Mar 2020

Gene deletion from insulin-producing cells prevents type 1 diabetes in mice

According to a new study performed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, deleting a gene from insulin-producing cells prevents the development of Type 1 diabetes in mice, by sparing the cells from being attacked by their own immune system.

27 Mar 2020

New model helps determine techniques used by cells to increase their sensitivity

The human body’s capability to identify foreign material, disease, and the location of food sources and toxins is governed by a mixture of chemicals surrounding the cells and also their ability to “read” these chemicals. Cells are extremely sensitive.

27 Mar 2020

Primitive bacterial parasites were first to use CRISPR to combat against one another

Humans are not the first to leverage the benefits of CRISPR. Pioneering research at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) has enabled redefining what CRISPR is.

25 Mar 2020

Do Pancreatic Cells Write Their Own Autoimmune Ending?

Researchers have discovered that pancreatic cells, producing lipids, can create their own autoimmune ending. This article looks at how this is possible.

25 Mar 2020