A new addition to the fight against bacteria comes in the unlikely form of an organelle that previously had no link to the immune response. University of Alberta researchers have found that peroxisomes are required for cells in the innate immune response to bacteria and fungi. The discovery was first made in fruit flies. Research...
Category: <span>Immunology</span>
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Scientists make critical insights into T-cell development
Mutations in the gene encoding the enzyme protein tyrosine phosphatase N2 (PTPN2) have been associated with the development of autoimmune disease including Type 1 diabetes, Crohn’s Disease and rheumatoid arthritis. In important fundamental research, Monash University researchers have identified a crucial part of the enzyme’s role in early T-cell development, and have shown that decreased levels...
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New insight into how immune cells are formed
In contrast to what has been previously believed, development of blood stem cells to mast cells, a type of specialised immune cell, does not depend on a growth factor called stem cell factor. This has been demonstrated in a new collaborative study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University, and published in the scientific...
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Checkpoint inhibitors fire up different types of T cells to attack tumors
Anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 immunotherapies expand distinct immune infiltrates against cancer Cancer immunotherapies that block two different checkpoints on T cells launch immune attacks on cancer by expanding distinct types of T cell that infiltrate tumors, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report in the journal Cell. “The mechanisms these two therapies use mostly...
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New type of blood cells work as indicators of autoimmunity
A team from Instituto de Medicina Molecular Lisboa, led by Luis Graça, has analyzed blood samples from patients with Sjögren syndrome, an autoimmune disease that affects the mucous membranes and moisture-secreting glands of the eyes and mouth, and found that these patients have a significant increase in a specific immune cell type called T follicular...
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Scientists Restore Youthful Plasticity to the Brains of Adult Mice
Like much of the rest of the body, the brain loses flexibility with age, impacting the ability to learn, remember, and adapt. Now, scientists at University of Utah Health report they can rejuvenate the plasticity of the mouse brain, specifically in the visual cortex, increasing its ability to change in response to experience. Manipulating a...
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The cells responsible for our allergies
A type of immune cell called TH2 has posed a puzzle for scientists: The cells help fight off invaders, but they also seem to be involved in the immune freakout that leads to allergic reactions. But in a study published in Science Translational Medicine, researchers identify the subtype of TH2 cell — what they call a TH2A cell — that appears to...
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Scientists Reversed Glaucoma in Mice With the Help of a Single Gene
The Ingenious Gene Glaucoma is a devastating disease of the eye that is typically associated with aging. It’s the leading cause of blindness, along with cataracts, affecting 70 million people worldwide. Specifically, glaucoma comes from the deterioration of retinal nerve ganglion cells. There is currently no cure. For the first time, scientists at the Vision Institute (Sorbonne University) and...
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Immune Cells May Be Key to Better Allergy, Infection Therapies
ITHACA, N.Y. – By learning how a recently discovered immune cell works in the body, researchers hope to one day harness the cells to better treat allergies and infections, according to new Cornell University research. Type 1 regulatory (Tr1) cells are a type of regulatory immune cell that help suppress immune responses, including inflammation and...
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PD-L1 – Immunotherapy: Unleashing the body to fight cancer
The discovery of a cell protein reveals a new way of harnessing the power of the immune system to fight cancer. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are now showing promise against a wide variety of cancers. Background: The notion that the human immune system can be enlisted to fight cancer has a long history in medical science,...