https://medicalxpress.com/immunology-news/ en-us The latest medical research news on immunology Researchers at National Jewish Health and colleagues have completed the first study comparing lung macrophages in multiple models of lung injury. The research indicates that macrophages previously described as "pro-fibrotic" are insufficient to cause fibrosis on their own, opening the door to research that can help advance the understanding of how macrophage programming can help or hinder lung repair. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-reveals-macrophages-misunderstood-role-lung.html Medical research Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:31:22 EST news654499877 Ever wondered why the color of your snot is different when you're sick? You're probably not the first person to ask this question. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-snot-immune-health.html Health Wed, 25 Dec 2024 09:20:01 EST news654167563 Physician-researchers with City of Hope have developed a way to add features to T cells to help them overcome mechanisms of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy resistance. Their new system is outlined in a paper published in Nature Biomedical Engineering. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-cells-patients-resistance-car-cell.html Oncology & Cancer Tue, 24 Dec 2024 11:15:40 EST news654261327 The human immune deficiency virus (HIV) first entered public consciousness in the early 1980s, after cases of unfamiliar and deadly illnesses began to overwhelm medical centers across North America. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-previously-unknown-protein-interactions-hiv.html HIV & AIDS Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:49:03 EST news654180541 Whenever a sink overflows, the flooding is usually caused by a blockage that has built up in the drains. Similarly, as we age, our bodies are flooded by aging, or senescent cells, which have stopped dividing but, instead of dying, remain active and build up in body tissues. Recent studies have shown that getting rid of these cells might delay age-related diseases, reduce inflammation and extend lives. Despite the great potential, however, there is currently no drug that can target these cells directly and efficiently. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-unclogging-immune-scientists-immunotherapy-aging.html Immunology Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:56:22 EST news654177378 In 2022 alone, over 20 million people were diagnosed with cancer, and nearly 10 million died from the disease, according to the World Health Organization. While the reaches of cancer are massive, the answer to more effective treatments may be hidden within a microscopic cell. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-microscopic-cell-linked-cancer-rapid.html Oncology & Cancer Sat, 21 Dec 2024 09:49:34 EST news653996968 An investigational therapy is demonstrating preclinical promise against non-Hodgkin lymphoma by boosting natural killer cells and efficiently annihilating the malignancy without toxicity to the patient, a team of cancer biologists in France has found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-experimental-drug-summons-warriors-immune.html Oncology & Cancer Fri, 20 Dec 2024 13:00:01 EST news653918216 A new paper from MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researchers is helping to reveal the "rules" for engineering chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) Tregs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-loosening-chimeric-antigen-receptor-regulatory.html Immunology Fri, 20 Dec 2024 11:15:30 EST news653915722 A team led by University of Toronto researchers has discovered a new communication pathway between the gut and lung. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-newly-gut-microbe-lung-axis.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 19 Dec 2024 15:06:47 EST news653843199 Findings of a new study into severe allergic reactions offer a sobering warning to people allergic to tree nuts and, more broadly, could lead to quicker diagnoses in emergency care for people with all anaphylactic allergies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-links-alcohol-consumption-severe-nut.html Immunology Thu, 19 Dec 2024 14:10:01 EST news653837792 Stanford Medicine scientists have designed a way to make our seasonal influenza vaccinations more broadly effective and possibly to protect us from new flu variants with pandemic potential. In a study published in Science, they've shown in cultured human tonsil tissue that the method works. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-scientists-workaround-response-flu-vaccine.html Immunology Thu, 19 Dec 2024 14:00:02 EST news653811602 Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that stimulates a patient's immune system to attack tumors. While promising, its effectiveness varies among patients. The new VUB technology helps identify in advance which patients are likely to benefit from this treatment. The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-tailored-cancer-treatment-patients-benefit.html Oncology & Cancer Thu, 19 Dec 2024 12:48:03 EST news653834881 Scientists have identified "immune pathways" during acute coronavirus infection that are associated with the development of long COVID, and while some pathways are the same for men and women, others differ dramatically along a sharp divide between the sexes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-molecular-cellular-sharp-sex-covid.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 19 Dec 2024 07:10:01 EST news653745993 A team of Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI) scientists has identified a new method for producing a therapeutic product that has the potential to improve the treatment of cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-proof-concept-bioengineers-therapeutics-cancer.html Oncology & Cancer Wed, 18 Dec 2024 16:24:10 EST news653761446 Research from Radboud university medical center shows that the lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on people's immune response to microorganisms. During the lockdown, inflammation levels in the body were low, but afterwards, the immune system reacted more intensely to viruses and bacteria. The results are published in Frontiers in Immunology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-immune-reacts-strongly-viruses-bacteria.html Immunology Wed, 18 Dec 2024 16:18:10 EST news653761083 Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified the mechanism of action of a treatment for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat cancers. Published this week in Cell Reports Medicine, the study reveals that the drug lurbinectedin, an approved second-line therapy for SCLC, activates the STING-IFN signaling pathway to enhance the immune response against tumors. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-reveals-immune-modulatory-mechanism-lurbinectedin.html Oncology & Cancer Wed, 18 Dec 2024 16:09:24 EST news653760560 Structural Genomics Consortium researchers at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) of McGill University, in collaboration with scientists from 11 major antibody manufacturers representing approximately 80% of global renewable antibody production, have developed and standardized an Open Science platform to characterize research antibodies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-team-solution.html Medical research Wed, 18 Dec 2024 15:47:09 EST news653759225 Various forms of blood cancer exist—all of which are grouped together under the term leukemia. One common form of leukemia is acute myeloid leukemia (AML), characterized by a degradation of early blood cell precursors, i.e. stem cells and the precursor cells that develop from them. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-car-nk-cells-alternative-approach.html Oncology & Cancer Wed, 18 Dec 2024 15:27:05 EST news653758021 Researchers at NYU College of Dentistry and NYU Grossman School of Medicine are closer to understanding what drives the autoimmune disorder Sjögren's disease, thanks to new discoveries about the role of calcium signaling, regulatory T cells, and interferon gamma. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-reveal-mechanisms-underlying-sjgren-disease.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 18 Dec 2024 14:00:01 EST news653741701 At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous studies had shown that COVID-19 patients with high levels of neutrophils, a key immune cell, presented with more severe disease and poor clinical outcomes. It was not clearly understood how or why this was happening. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-exploring-role-understudied-dysfunctional-immune.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 18 Dec 2024 08:58:22 EST news653734697 Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a type of cancer immunotherapy where patients' T-cells are collected and genetically modified to produce chimeric antigen receptors that recognize specific targets on cancer cells, allowing these T-cells to locate and destroy the cancer cells. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-reveal-tisa-cel-therapy-relapsed.html Oncology & Cancer Tue, 17 Dec 2024 17:10:08 EST news653677801 Northwestern Medicine scientists have developed a method for identifying reactive cysteines on peptide antigens within the immune system, a development which may prove useful in cancer immunotherapy, according to a study published in Nature Communications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-reactive-cysteines-peptide-antigens-cancer.html Oncology & Cancer Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:44:43 EST news653676276 A research team from the LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) has identified a mechanistic link between high blood glucose levels and weakened immunity against viral infections in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The collaborative research highlights the increased susceptibility of T2D patients to more frequent and severe viral infections, emphasizing the importance of maintaining optimal blood glucose levels as a vital public health measure. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-high-blood-glucose-linked-weakened.html Diabetes Tue, 17 Dec 2024 11:40:36 EST news653658032 A team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Biological Sciences and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have uncovered how a subset of cells in the intestines change throughout the day. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-intestinal-tuft-cell.html Immunology Tue, 17 Dec 2024 11:37:57 EST news653657870 Scientists at City of Hope have collared a tricky culprit that helps cancer cells evade CAR T cell therapy. CAR T cell therapy harnesses the immune system to seek out and kill tumor cells. This treatment is used in certain types of leukemia and lymphoma—blood cancers. Some wily cancer cells, however, have learned how to hide from the immune system to avoid destruction. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-scientists-uncover-protein-cancer-cells.html Oncology & Cancer Tue, 17 Dec 2024 11:00:01 EST news653562901 Craniopharyngioma (CP) is a rare brain tumor that develops in the regions close to the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. The CP tumors lead to complications like defective vision, neuronal defects, diabetes, and developmental problems. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-comprehensive-cell-insights-rare-brain.html Oncology & Cancer Mon, 16 Dec 2024 13:26:23 EST news653577977 Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a major cause of skin and soft tissue infections that can sometimes lead to sepsis and toxic shock syndrome. The microbe poses a significant threat to public health, made worse by the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (MRSA) in recent years. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-aureus-thwarts-vaccines-protein-halts.html Immunology Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:00:01 EST news653564639 Allergic diseases such as asthma, atopic dermatitis, and food allergies have been increasing in frequency over the last few years. Food allergies in particular affect millions of people worldwide—this includes allergies to foods such as milk, peanuts, eggs and shellfish. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-flavonoid-powerhouse-kaempferol-role-allergic.html Immunology Mon, 16 Dec 2024 09:38:04 EST news653564282 Dan G. Duda, DMD, Ph.D., of the Edwin L. Steele Laboratories for Tumor Biology and Department of Radiation Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital, is the corresponding author of a paper published in Cancer Immunology Research, "Combination CXCR4 and PD1 Blockade Enhances Intratumoral Dendritic Cell Activation and Immune Responses Against Hepatocellular Carcinoma." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-qa-liver-cancer-outcomes-immunotherapy.html Oncology & Cancer Mon, 16 Dec 2024 07:47:05 EST news653557621 A multi-institutional clinical trial led by the University of Navarra, Spain, found that blocking growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) can counteract resistance to anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 therapies in solid tumors. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-gdf-inhibitors-hard-tumors-clinical.html Oncology & Cancer Sun, 15 Dec 2024 08:40:01 EST news653312032