The Immune System

In a world-first breakthrough, scientists have discovered how a sugary “cloak” helps bowel cancer hide from the immune system, and how stripping it away could turn the body’s anti-cancer defenses back on.

Even in death, cells leave a trace. Scientists have discovered a microscopic “Footprint of Death” that not only helps the immune system clean up but can also give viruses a new way to spread infection.

A one-time gene therapy using a patient’s own stem cells has effectively cured a deadly immune disorder in 95% of treated children, offering a lasting, donor-free solution to ADA-SCID, known as the “bubble boy” disease.

A new study offers hope for brain cancer patients facing memory loss from radiotherapy. By blocking a single immune receptor, scientists preserved cognition in mice without dulling the cancer-killing power of radiation.

People with severe chronic pain were far more likely to have elevated levels of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell, a new study found, hinting at an immune link to pain – but the rise in these cells didn’t make treatments any less effective.

A next-generation cancer vaccine has shown stunning results in mice, preventing up to 88% of aggressive and difficult-to-treat cancers by harnessing dual-pathway nanoparticles that train the immune system to recognize and destroy tumor cells.

An existing transplant drug has shown promise in slowing the progression of type 1 diabetes in newly diagnosed young people, potentially paving the way for the first therapy that modifies the disease after diagnosis.

Switching off a single enzyme in immune cells protected mice from obesity, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease in a new study, offering a potential new treatment target for metabolic disorders.

Signs of immune system aging appear years before rheumatoid arthritis takes hold, offering new hope for early diagnosis and treatments that could slow or stop the disease before it starts, according to new research.

A new study flips the script on hypertension. Long blamed on the kidneys and blood vessels, it now seems the brain might be a silent instigator, especially in cases where standard treatments fail.

A carotenoid widely available in fruit and vegetables, and as a supplement, has been found to bolster the cancer-killing capacity of immune cells. It could be a valuable ally in immunotherapy treatment, helping to shrink tumors more effectively.

Tucked away in the immune systems of a few people across the globe was something extraordinary, a genetic shield against every virus nature could throw at them. Now researchers are trying to turn this discovery into a universal antiviral treatment.