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Even as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was unfolding, there was already evidence suggesting that the disease was zoonotic in origin. One theory that gained particular media attention was the likelihood of transmission from wild bats, potentially sold in the wet market in Wuhan, China. Study: Variations in cell-surface ACE2 levels alter direct binding of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein and […]
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After infection with SARS-CoV-2, where does the immune system store the memory to provide long-term protection against reinfection? Though numerous studies have examined blood to track immune responses to SARS-CoV-2, a new study of COVID survivors shows that the memory of the infection is primarily stored in T and B cells within the lung and the lymph nodes surrounding the […]
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HIV is a master of evading the immune system, using a variety of methods to prevent the body from being able to find and kill it. The vast majority of people living with HIV require daily medication to suppress the virus and therefore prevent the development of AIDS. But for a small subset of people, this battle between the immune […]
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T cells play an important role in the human immune system. The blood cells classified as lymphocytes are formed in the bone marrow. From there they travel through blood vessels to the thymus gland in the breastbone. They then form receptors on their cellular surface to identify and fight foreign matter. The T cells also stimulate the formation of B […]
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Senescent cells prevent tissue recovery following spinal cord injury, and a new drug targeting these cells could therefore improve functional recovery capacity. Spinal Cord Injury. Image Credit: Viacheslav Nikolaenko/Shutterstock.com Exploring treatments for spinal cord injury in animal models Notorious for having a poor ability to recover from spinal cord injuries, mammals often suffer from whole-body paralysis following such recoveries. This […]
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Researchers at Mayo Clinic Cancer Center are studying a potential new chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapy (CAR-T cell therapy) treatment for multiple myeloma. Their findings were published on Friday, June 24, in The Lancet. CAR-T cell therapy is a type of immunotherapy that involves harnessing the power of a person's own immune system by engineering their T cells to recognize […]
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When we think of the brain, we think of neurons. But much of the brain is made of non-neuronal cells called glial cells, which help regulate brain development and function. For the first, time UNC School of Medicine scientist Katie Baldwin, PhD, and colleagues revealed a central role of the glial protein hepaCAM in building the brain and affecting brain […]
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A new resource developed at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and The Kinghorn Cancer Centre for oncologists could help make targeted cancer therapies more accessible for Australian patients. The TOPOGRAPH (Therapy-Oriented Precision Oncology Guidelines for Recommending Anti-cancer Pharmaceuticals) database is an online tool that catalogues oncology research to streamline the process of recommending therapeutic treatments in precision cancer medicine. […]
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The human fetal immune system begins to develop early during gestation, however, factors responsible for fetal immune-priming remain elusive. Using multiple complementary approaches, Dr Florent Ginhoux from A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Professor Jerry Chan from KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), Professor Salvatore Albani from the SingHealth Duke-NUS Translational Immunology Institute, with collaborators from Cambridge University explored potential exposure […]
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Once a virus infects a cell, neighboring cells are likely to become infected by interactions that are dependent on the cell and the virus in question. For example, cell-to-cell spread is facilitated in HIV by viral synapses, which also allow for escape from neutralizing antibodies. Low-level drug inhibitors are able to suppress infection if applied before the first cell is […]
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