A recent study by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers provides evidence that CD4+ T lymphocytes—immune system cells also known as helper T cells—produced by people who received either of the two available messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines for COVID-19 persist six months after vaccination at only slightly reduced levels from two weeks after vaccination and are at […]
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Mutated cells drive out early tumours from the oesophagus
Cells carrying mutations can out compete early tumors in the mouse esophagus, so they never make it into cancers, new research has shown. Normal human esophagus is a patchwork of cells containing mutations, known as mutant clones. This new research, from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Cambridge, and collaborators, used state of the […]
Distress signal from fat cells prompts heart to shore up defenses against consequences of obesity
A stress signal received by the heart from fat could help protect against cardiac damage induced by obesity, a new study led by UT Southwestern researchers suggests. The finding, published online in Cell Metabolism, could help explain the “obesity paradox,” a phenomenon in which obese individuals have better short- and medium-term cardiovascular disease prognoses compared with those who […]
Glial cells help mitigate neurological damage in Huntingtons disease
The brain is not a passive recipient of injury or disease. Research has shown that when neurons die and disrupt the natural flow of information they maintain with other neurons, the brain compensates by redirecting communications through other neuronal networks. This adjustment or rewiring continues until the damage goes beyond compensation. This process of adjustment, […]
How CD4+ T cells respond to SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 recovered patients
An international team of researchers from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine, affiliated to the Università della Svizzera italiana, has deciphered the T cell responses occurring during COVID-19 infection at single-cell resolution. This study, which was performed at the Center of Medical Immunology under the leadership of Prof. Federica Sallusto, included collaborations with clinical institutions […]
Scientists show immune cells change behavior unexpectedly to instigate psoriasis lesions
Millions of people suffer from psoriasis, a chronic, autoimmune disorder that causes scaly patches on the skin and often precedes psoriatic arthritis. While no cure exists, treatments range from topical creams to injected medications that block inflammation. To improve treatment options, scientists need to better understand the dysregulation of the immune system that leads to […]
Antiviral T cells safe and effective for treating debilitating complication common after stem cell transplants
A Phase II trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that BK virus (BKV)-specific T cells from healthy donors were safe and effective as an off-the-shelf therapy for BKV-associated hemorrhagic cystitis (BKV-HC), a painful complication common after allogeneic stem cell transplants for patients with leukemia or lymphoma. The […]
How brain cells repair their DNA reveals ‘hot spots’ of aging and disease
Neurons lack the ability to replicate their DNA, so they’re constantly working to repair damage to their genome. Now, a new study by Salk scientists finds that these repairs are not random, but instead focus on protecting certain genetic “hot spots” that appear to play a critical role in neural identity and function. The findings, […]
‘Smart’ cartilage cells programmed to release drugs when stressed
Working to develop new treatments for osteoarthritis, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have genetically engineered cartilage to deliver an anti-inflammatory drug in response to activity similar to the bending of a knee or other motions that put stress on joints. Among the early symptoms of osteoarthritis is pain in response […]
‘Invisible’ stem cells evade natural killer cells using immune ‘off-switch’
UC San Francisco scientists have discovered a new way to control the immune system’s ‘natural killer’ (NK) cells, a finding with implications for novel cell therapies and tissue implants that can evade immune rejection. The findings could also be used to enhance the ability of cancer immunotherapies to detect and destroy lurking tumors. The study, […]