by McMaster University Lead author Sebastian Himbert (left) and professor Maikel Rheinstadter (right), who supervised the paper, in their lab at McMaster University. Credit: Matthew Clarke/McMaster University Physicists, chemists and immunologists at McMaster University have teamed up to modify red blood cells to transport viral agents which can safely trigger the immune system to protect...
JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE In laboratory experiments involving a class of mutations in people with a rare collection of immune system disorders, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they have uncovered new details about how immune system cells respond to disease-causing bacteria, fungi and viruses such as SARS-CoV-2. The findings, the scientists report, reveal...
LEIBNIZ INSTITUTE FOR NATURAL PRODUCT RESEARCH AND INFECTION BIOLOGY – HANS KNOELL INSTITUTE IMAGE: CANDIDA ALBICANS (BLUE) TAKES UP HUMAN MICRORNA (RED) FROM EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES. CREDIT: LUKE DONALD HALDER/LEIBNIZ-HKI Jena. During infection, the yeast Candida albicans stimulates the release of tiny RNA fragments, which then stimulate its own growth. An international research team led by the Leibniz...
by Birkbeck University of London Cryo-tomography of perforin prepores.(A) Overview of a typical cryotomogram of liposomes with attached perforin prepores. Prepore assemblies are highlighted with arrows. (B) Close-up view of prepores attached to the lipid bilayers. (C) Manual docking of soluble perforin monomer (purple, PDB code 3NSJ) into the 3D volume of a perforin prepore...
Written by Lindsey DeSoto, RDN, LD on February 2, 2022 — Fact checked by Hannah FlynnThis series of Special Features takes an in-depth look at the science behind some of the most debated nutrition-related topics, weighing in on the facts and debunking the myths. Design by Diego Sabogal The immune system is a large network of cells, organs, and proteins. It...
Clues suggest anti-inflammatory macrophages are different in people with diabetes. The link between obesity and illness, particularly type 2 diabetes, is well known. Yet researchers are actively working to understand what it is about fat tissue that leads to metabolic disease. Studies in mice have shown that an increase in immune cells called macrophages in fat tissue...
by Leiden University SARS-CoV-2 S–Specific Immune Responses. Credit: DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2116747 A coronavirus booster shot provides a better immune response against COVID-19 than a single vaccine dose. mRNA boosters are the most effective upon receiving Janssen. These are the results of a collaborative study between several organizations, including the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). The findings...
UNIVERSITY OF BASEL IMAGE: IMMUNOFLUORESCENT IMAGE DEPICTING T CELLS (BLUE) ATTACKING TUMOR CELLS (WHITE) BY FORMING AN IMMUNE SYNAPSE WITH LFA-1 (OPEN HEADPIECE CONFORMATION – LABELED IN RED). A NEW STUDY IDENTIFIED EXTRACELLULAR MAGNESIUM AS A CRITICAL IMMUNE MODULATOR OF CD8+ T CELLS. CREDIT: J. LOETSCHER ET AL., CELL (2022) The level of magnesium in...
by University of Montreal Graphical abstract. Credit: DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110111 Awakening the immune system’s instinct for destroying cancer, using two molecules located on the surface of macrophages: that’s the promising avenue opening up from recent laboratory work of Dr. André Veillette. Director of the Molecular Oncology Research Unit of the Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM) and...
by Alan Mozes Meditation done at an intense level may bring a significant boost to the inner workings of your immune system. The finding follows a blood sample analysis that took pre- and post-meditation snapshots of genetic activity among more than 100 men and women. That analysis suggested that meditation boosted the activity of hundreds of genes...
