The Immune System

Researchers have developed a new nanotherapy to enhance the effectiveness of a type 1 diabetes treatment. The innovation packages immunosuppressive drugs into nanoparticles to reduce the likelihood of a body rejecting newly transplanted islet cells.

Cedars-Sinai researchers are reporting even mild COVID-19 cases show lingering signs of an overactive immune system months after the acute disease, and experts are concerned the current wave of Omicron infections could lead to huge rates of long COVID.

Israel has begun the world’s first roll-out of a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose. The program is initially focusing on patients with compromised immune systems, while a study is underway testing the safety and efficacy of a fourth dose in 6,000 people.

Compelling new preclinical research led by scientists from Yale University has found intranasal vaccination may be more effective at generating immunity against a number of respiratory viruses compared to conventional injection-delivered vaccination.

New research is showing promising preclinical signs for an experimental mRNA vaccine targeting HIV. The vaccine was found to generate robust responses in mice and primates but still needs more optimization before moving to preliminary human trials.

The FDA has authorized the first COVID-19 drug designed to prevent infection in immunocompromised populations. The monoclonal antibody treatment is delivered by intramuscular injection and offers robust protection from infection for up to six months.

Furthering understanding into the links between inflammation and depression a study has found a fascinating association between increased white blood cell counts and higher genetic risk scores for depression, even in the absence of depressive symptoms.

New research is offering the best insight to date into the long-term benefit of a third COVID-19 vaccine dose. Tracking of over 300,000 people found a third dose of Pfizer’s vaccine reduces the chance of infection by 86 percent compared to two doses.

A first-of-its-kind study investigating the effects of a food additive on human gut bacteria has found the emulsifier carboxymethylcellulose can alter the quality and composition of the microbiome and potentially increase risk of chronic inflammation.

Yale researchers have developed a new oral medication for type 1 diabetes. In tests in mice, the drug quickly adjusted insulin levels, restored metabolic functions and reversed inflammation, opening up a potential way to prevent the disease.

A new kind of COVID-19 treatment is designed to stimulate the body’s immune defenses and fight off a coronavirus infection at its earliest stages. In preclinical animal tests a synthetic RNA molecule helped mice effectively clear the virus.

Stem cell transplants to treat blood cancers can be a risky process. In a new study in mice, researchers found a way to make the process safer by targeting a patient’s faulty stem cells more precisely, removing the need for radiation or chemotherapy.