In a study examining the ageing immune system and what makes it less efficient, researchers looked at the effects of COVID-19 mRNA vaccination in older adults. They found that older adults’ weaker immune response can be attributed to their relative deficiency in a specific type of T cells. As we age, the immune system’s efficacy […]
The secret life of CD4+ T cells: from helpers to melanoma fighters: Researchers have revealed unprecedented insights into CD4+ T cells, a type of immune cell, which show promise for immunotherapies against melanoma, the most severe form of skin cancer. In the study led by the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute) […]
Read More… from The secret life of CD4+ T cells: from helpers to melanoma fighters
Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease in which immune cells form tissue nodules in various organs, which can drastically impair organ function. Now a MedUni Vienna research team led by Thomas Weichhart from the Center for Pathobiochemistry and Genetics has developed an animal model that replicates the development of the disease in the heart and can […]
Read More… from New insights into the development of sarcoidosis
Atherosclerosis is a disease in which fat, cholesterol, and other substances build up inside artery walls. This can lead to plaque formation, which can block arteries and cause heart attacks and strokes. Immune cells play a key role in cleaning the blood, by interacting with red blood cell extracellular vesicles (RBCEVs), which are nano-sized particles […]
Read More… from Red blood cell particles reduce fat deposition in arteries
Researchers discover specialised immune cells patrolling the human eye: Researchers have discovered that the sentinels guarding the healthy human cornea from pathogens and inflammation are T cells, and not another type of immune cells called dendritic cells, as previously thought. The discovery, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, redefines current […]
Harnessing the healing power within our cells: University of Queensland researchers have identified a pathway in cells that could be used to reprogram the body’s immune system to fight back against both chronic inflammatory and infectious diseases. Dr Kaustav Das Gupta and Professor Matt Sweet from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience discovered that a molecule […]
Read More… from Harnessing the healing power within our cells
How immune cells use fat to fight infection: Research from the University of East Anglia and Quadram Institute reveals how our immune cells use the body’s fat stores to fight infection. The research, published today in the journal Nature Communications, could help develop new approaches to treating people with bacterial infections. The research team say […]
Targeted micronutrition ameliorates allergy symptoms: Micronutrient deficiencies can promote inflammation and render the immune system particularly sensitive to allergenic substances. In particular, iron deficiency signals danger to immune cells and leads to a more pronounced, exaggerated immune response. For the first time, scientists at the Messerli Research Institute of MedUni Vienna, Vetmeduni Vienna and the […]
Autoimmune diseases are triggered when the immune system malfunctions and attacks the body’s own structures. Although there is not, as yet, any cure for such diseases, their progression can be slowed down by therapeutic measures. Researchers at MedUni Vienna’s Center for Physiology and Pharmacology have now discovered a central signaling pathway in immune cells that […]
Read More… from Discovery of central building block in immune cells
University of Queensland researchers have unlocked a way of fighting Listeria infections, which can cause severe illness in pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems. During the study, researchers discovered a way to block Listeria from making the proteins that allow bacteria to survive and multiply in immune cells. UQ Diamantina Institute’s Professor Antje Blumenthal said […]
Read More… from Researchers discover way to disarm potentially deadly Listeria bacteria