Rat Model of Preeclampsia Gives new Insight into Immunological Changes during Pregnancy

Article title: Immunological comparison of pregnant Dahl salt-sensitive and Sprague-Dawley rats commonly used to model characteristics of preeclampsia Authors: Erin B. Taylor, Eric M. George, Michael J. Ryan, Michael R. Garrett, Jennifer M. Sasser From the authors: “The current study…

AI Predicts How Patients with Viral Infections, Including COVID-19, Will Fare

UC San Diego School of Medicine researchers discovered gene expression patterns associated with pandemic viral infections, providing a map to help define patients’ immune responses, measure disease severity, predict outcomes and test therapies — for current and future pandemics.

LUDWIG CANCER RESEARCH STUDY SHOWS HOW CERTAIN MACROPHAGES DAMPEN ANTI-TUMOR IMMUNITY

A Ludwig Cancer Research study adds to growing evidence that immune cells known as macrophages inhabiting the body cavities that house our vital organs can aid tumor growth by distracting the immune system’s cancer-killing CD8+ T cells.

Reported in the current issue of Cancer Cell and led by Ludwig investigators Taha Merghoub and Jedd Wolchok at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) and Charles Rudin of MSK, the study shows that cavity-resident macrophages express high levels of Tim-4, a receptor for phosphatidylserine (PS), a molecule that they surprisingly found on the surface of highly activated, cytotoxic and proliferative CD8+ T-cells.

Understanding the skin’s defense system

It can be easy to forget that the human skin is an organ. It’s also the largest one and it’s exposed, charged with keeping our inner biology safe from the perils of the outside world.

But Michigan State University’s Sangbum Park is someone who never takes skin or its biological functions for granted. He’s studying skin at the cellular level to better understand it and help us support it when it’s fighting injury, infection or disease.

Will COVID-19 Eventually Become Just a Seasonal Nuisance?

Within the next decade, the novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 could become little more than a nuisance, causing no more than common cold-like coughs and sniffles. That possible future is predicted by mathematical models that incorporate lessons learned from the current pandemic on how our body’s immunity changes over time. Scientists at the University of Utah carried out the research, now published in the journal Viruses.

Laurie Garrett, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist, Named 2021 Senator Frank R. Lautenberg Award Recipient by the Rutgers School of Public Health

Laurie Garrett, a Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist, has been named the 2021 Senator Frank R. Lautenberg Awardee by the Rutgers School of Public Health. She will serve as the School’s speaker at their 38th graduation ceremony, which will virtually launch on May 14, 2021.

Apes show dramatically different early immune responses compared to monkeys

A new study out of the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in humans, chimpanzees, rhesus macaques and baboons has found key differences in early gene expression in response to pathogen exposure, highlighting the importance of choosing the right animal model for the right questions.

Yale Researchers Identify Tumor Reactive Immune-Cells to help fight against Advanced Melanoma

According to a new study led by Yale Cancer Center and Department of Neurology researchers, a simple blood draw may be the first step in helping to discover tumor reactive immune or T cells to treat advanced melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer. The findings were published today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

Through a $500 Million Partnership with the State of Ohio, JobsOhio and Ohio Development Services Agency, Cleveland Clinic Forms Global Center for Pathogen Research & Human Health

CLEVELAND: As part of the new Cleveland Innovation District announced today by State of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, JobsOhio and Ohio Development Services Agency, Cleveland Clinic will significantly expand its global commitment to infectious disease research and translational programs to form the Global Center for Pathogen Research & Human Health.

The new Center will position Ohio as an international leader for research into emerging pathogens and virus-related diseases and will serve as a significant economic catalyst in Northeast Ohio. Funding comes through a $500 million investment from the State of Ohio, JobsOhio and Cleveland Clinic.

New clues on why pregnancy may increase risk of organ transplant rejection

A research study at the University of Chicago has found that in pregnancy, while the T cell response to a fetus becomes tolerant to allow for successful pregnancy, the part of the immune system that produces antibodies (known as the humoral response) becomes sensitized, creating memory B cells that can later contribute to the rejection of a transplanted organ.

Pre-existing influenza immunity impacts antibody quality following seasonal infection and vaccination

New research by scientists at the University of Chicago suggests a person’s antibody response to influenza viruses is dramatically shaped by their pre-existing immunity, and that the quality of this response differs in individuals who are vaccinated or naturally infected. Their results highlight the importance of receiving the annual flu vaccine to induce the most protective immune response.

UNLV Immunologist on the Differences Between Two Leading COVID-19 Vaccine Candidates

Millions around the world have waited for news about a COVID-19 vaccine, regarding it as the beginning of the end for the global pandemic and a herald for the eventual return to “normal life.” Recent announcements from pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna that their respective late-stage vaccine trials have shown a 90% or better effectiveness rate have received international applause, excitement furthered with estimates that doses could be ready as early as December.

Mount Sinai Researchers Discover How to Boost Efficacy of Vaccine Designed to Prevent Melanoma Recurrence

A vaccine created to prevent the recurrence of the deadly skin cancer melanoma is about twice as effective when patients also receive two components that boost the number and effectiveness of immune system cells called dendritic cells, according to phase 2 clinical trial results published in Nature Cancer in November.

What We Know: Mount Sinai to Host COVID-19 Research Symposium

The COVID-19 Research Symposium, hosted by the Mount Sinai Clinical Intelligence Center (MSCIC), is a one-day comprehensive review of advances in research by the Mount Sinai Health System to better understand and treat the coronavirus known as COVID-19.

Mount Sinai Selected to Serve as Capacity Building Center and Center of Excellence as Part of the National Cancer Institute’s New Serological Sciences Network

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai will receive more than $7.3 million from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as part of the NCI’s new Serological Sciences Network (SeroNet), one of the largest coordinated national efforts to study immunology and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Mount Sinai was selected as one of only four Capacity Building Centers and one of eight Centers of Excellence as part of this new network.

Blocking Immune System Pathway May Stop COVID-19 Infection, Prevent Severe Organ Damage

While the world waits eagerly for a safe and effective vaccine to prevent infections from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers also are focusing on better understanding how SARS-CoV-2 attacks the body in the search for other means of stopping its devastating impact. The key to one possibility — blocking a protein that enables the virus to turn the immune system against healthy cells — has been identified in a recent study by a team of Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers.

UC San Diego Health Joins International Clinical Trial to Test Coronavirus Vaccine

UC San Diego Health will be a test site for a third, major Phase III clinical trial to assess a vaccine candidate for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Sponsored by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, the trial will recruit up to 60,000 participants at sites in the United States and worldwide.

Cancer Research Institute Goes Virtual for Its Immunotherapy Patient Summit Series, Connecting Patients and Caregivers with Leading Experts in Cancer Immunotherapy

Free virtual event October 2-3 connecting cancer patients and caregivers with leading immunotherapy experts and patient advocates treated with immunotherapy

Crippling Life Support for SARS-CoV-2 Through Synthetic Lethality

Significance of paperThis paper authored by a group of scientists from the Center for Global Infectious Disease Research at Seattle Children’s Research Institute presents a promising concept for disrupting the life cycle of a virus using synthetic lethality. When viruses infect…