Yale investigators have shown that the combination of a vaccine and a medicated cream is a promising strategy to dramatically reduce the recurrence of genital herpes. Their study, co-led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, was published in the journal npj Vaccines. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) […]
Immune therapy takes a ‘BiTE’ out of brain cancer
Building on their research showing that an exciting new form of immunotherapy for cancer has activity in patients with glioblastoma, the most common and most deadly form of brain cancer, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators have created a new method that could make immune therapy more effective again brain tumors and expand its use against […]
Disrupting immune cell behavior may contribute to heart disease and failure, study shows
On an ice hockey team, the players all start off with identical uniforms, skates and a stick. But if you take one of them, add padding, a glove, and a mask; and switch the stick to one with a larger blade, then you get a goalie. Now, the player has morphed—or differentiated—into one with a […]
Newly discovered immune cell linked to type 1 diabetes
In a discovery that might be likened to finding medicine’s version of the Loch Ness monster, a research team from Johns Hopkins Medicine, IBM Research and four collaborating institutions is the first to document the existence of long-doubted “X cell,” a “rogue hybrid” immune system cell that may play a key role in the development […]
Bacteria in fermented food signal the human immune system, explaining health benefits
Researchers have discovered that humans and great apes possess a receptor on their cells that detects metabolites from bacteria commonly found in fermented foods and triggers movement of immune cells. Claudia Stäubert of the University of Leipzig and colleagues report these findings in a new study published 23rd May in PLOS Genetics. Consuming lactic acid […]
Immune find could aid stem cell therapy quest
A discovery of how stem cells are protected from viruses could inform the development of therapies for use in medicine, research suggests. The finding could help research aimed at boosting the immune response of stem cells—early stage cells with the potential to become specialised tissues—for use in treating disease or damaged tissues. The research identified […]
In rare cases, immune system fails despite HIV suppression
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is usually very effective at suppressing HIV in the body, allowing a person’s immune system to recover by preventing the virus from destroying CD4+ T cells. Scientists have now identified a rare, paradoxical response to ART known as extreme immune decline, or EXID. Five individuals evaluated at the National Institute of Allergy […]
FDA-approved drug effectively treats rare chronic immune disorders
A drug approved to treat a severe form of asthma dramatically improved the health of people with rare chronic immune disorders called hypereosinophilic syndromes (HES) in whom other treatments were ineffective or intolerable. This finding comes from a small clinical trial led by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part […]
Discovery of a crucial immune reaction when solid food is introduced that prevents inflammatory disorders
Microbes colonize all body surfaces and balance the immune system. In newborn infants, the gut microbiome is first conditioned by breast milk components. When solid food is introduced, gut microbiota develops and bacteria proliferate. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur and Inserm have discovered that a key immune response is generated in mice when solid food […]
Sleep boosts immune systems by making blood cells more able to attack
Sleep off your sickness: Slumber boosts our immune systems by making white blood cells more able to attack Researchers analysed blood taken from participants when asleep and awake Body showed higher levels of a specific T-cell function while asleep A certain group of molecules, such as hormone adrenaline, are lower at night It suggests these […]