by University of California – San Diego Most traditional cancer therapies target either the tumor cells themselves or indiscriminately kill any rapidly dividing cell. New findings by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine indicate that manipulating macrophages, a type of immune cell found abundantly in the tissues surrounding a tumor, could...
Tag: <span>Immune cells</span>
Tuberculosis vaccine strengthens immune system
by University of Bonn A tuberculosis vaccine developed 100 years ago also makes vaccinated persons less susceptible to other infections. While this effect has been recognized for a long time, it is not known what causes it. Together with colleagues from Australia and Denmark, researchers from Radboud university medical center the universities of Nijmegen and...
Update on stem cells for COVID-19, Surgisphere scandal
The term Regenerative Medicine covers so much biomedical science these days including everything from just about any kind of cell therapy (not just stem cells) to CRISPR gene editing, and with the the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems this umbrella use of the term now includes potential treatment of viral illnesses. It can be hard to...
T cells engineered to target senescence
Senescence is a hallmark of cellular ageing and contributes to many diseases. A new method enabling immune cells to target senescent cells might offer improved therapeutic options. Senescence is a form of cellular stress response. In some circumstances it can be harmful, and efforts are under way to develop therapies that target senescent cells. Writing...
Nanosponges could intercept coronavirus infection
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – SAN DIEGO Nanoparticles cloaked in human lung cell membranes and human immune cell membranes can attract and neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus in cell culture, causing the virus to lose its ability to hijack host cells and reproduce. The first data describing this new direction for fighting COVID-19 were published on June...
Early clinical trial supports tumor cell-based vaccine for mantle cell lymphoma
by Rockefeller University Press A phase I/II clinical trial by researchers at Stanford University suggests that vaccines prepared from a patient’s own tumor cells may prevent the incurable blood cancer mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) from returning after treatment. The study, which will be published June 19 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), reveals that...
Renewed hope for treatment of pain and depression
by Luxembourg Institute of Health Researchers at the Department of Infection and Immunity of the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) have developed LIH383, a novel molecule that binds to and blocks a previously unknown opioid receptor in the brain, thereby modulating the levels of opioid peptides produced in the central nervous system (CNS) and potentiating...
Study shows nervous and immune systems ‘need to talk’ for bone repair
Study shows nervous and immune systems ‘need to talk’ for bone repair Photomicrographs from a recent Johns Hopkins Medicine study showing the importance of the peripheral nervous system in bone injury repair. Clockwise from bottom left: (A) Micro computed tomography image showing bone regrowth in mouse skull 14 days after injury (dashed black line is...
How targeting killer T cells in the lungs could lead to immunity against respiratory viruses
by Salk Institute A significant site of damage during COVID-19 infection is the lungs. Understanding how the lungs’ immune cells are responding to viral infections could help scientists develop a vaccine. Now, a team of researchers led by Salk Professor Susan Kaech has discovered that the cellsresponsible for long-term immunity in the lungs can be...
Continued nicotine use promotes brain tumors in lung cancer patients, study suggests
by Rockefeller University Press Researchers at Wake Forest School of Medicine have discovered that nicotine promotes the spread of lung cancer cells into the brain, where they can form deadly metastatic tumors. The study, which will be published June 4 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), suggests that nicotine replacement therapies may not be...