Feature Channels: Immunology

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A Cleveland Clinic-led research collaboration between Timothy Chan, MD, PhD, Chair of Cleveland Clinic’s Global Center for Immunotherapy, and Bristol Myers Squibb has published the most comprehensive overview to date of how our immune system reshapes tumor architecture in response to immune checkpoint therapy. The eight-year study, published in Nature Medicine, outlines how cancer immunotherapy induces tumor recognition through neoantigens to reshape the tumor ecosystem.

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The complex shape of respiratory syncytial virus is one hurdle limiting the development of treatments for an infection that leads to hospitalization or worse for hundreds of thousands of people in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New images of the virus from researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison may hold the key to preventing or slowing RSV infections.

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September usually marks the start of flu season, and with the ongoing threat of COVID-19, it’s crucial to be vigilant about your family’s health. The challenge, however, is being able to tell the difference between the flu, the common cold, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19, since all have similar symptoms.

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New findings on how past viral respiratory infections affect future, unrelated ones could lead to therapies for boosting general antiviral immunity—and potentially better pandemic preparedness.

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In a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health, University of Georgia researchers found that natural immunity from previous flu infections has a significant impact on how well future influenza vaccinations work.

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Cleveland Clinic researchers have discovered a new bacterium that weakens the immune system in the gut, potentially contributing to certain inflammatory and infectious gut diseases. The team identified the bacterium, Tomasiella immunophila (T. immunophila), which plays a key role in breaking down a crucial immune component of the gut’s multi-faceted protective immune barrier. Identifying this bacterium is the first step to developing new treatments for a variety of inflammatory and infectious gut diseases.

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If it’s autumn, then it must be influenza season, which means it’s time to consider flu shots for your family.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Academy of Pediatrics, and Infectious Diseases Society of America recommend that everyone approved to receive a flu shot get one—including children ages 6 months and older.

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Longevity research is focussed on extending our time in good health, with the goal of increasing healthspan—the years spent in optimal well-being—rather than simply adding more years to life.

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Scientists have found that the naked mole-rat — an underground rodent that lives up to 40 years — has lost a number of CD1 functional genes. The CD1 gene family in mammals is responsible for protein synthesis that protects the body against infectious diseases. The findings indicate that the naked mole-rat’s immune system has significantly realigned and is using other — CD1-independent — molecular mechanisms. The results of the studies, supported by the Grants of Presidential program of the Russian Science Fund (RSF), were published in the Biology Direct magazine.

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Researchers at Saint Louis University School of Medicine investigated differences in T-cell responses between male and female patients with lung cancer that may help direct future treatments. T-cell responses are part of the adaptive immune system, which is part of the body's "smart system" that monitors for threats and fights them with customized defenses.

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Zhijian “James” Chen, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology and Director of the Center for Inflammation Research at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has been awarded the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award for his discovery of the cGAS enzyme.

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A University of Chicago Medicine patient became the first in the world to receive the drug guselkumab (Tremfya) since its Sept. 11 approval by the FDA for treating moderate to severe ulcerative colitis.

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Wistar Institute scientists have successfully isolated and cloned fully human antibodies that can block specific Type-I interferon molecules in vitro; their discovery has an array of potential clinical & research applications, enabling scientists with a new way to investigate the role of specific Type-I interferons in a variety of diseases.

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Tufts University researchers have received a $20.7 million grant to lead the largest NIH-funded prospective study of patients with chronic Lyme disease to date, following patients from their earliest diagnosis to better identify why some people go on to develop debilitating symptoms later on.

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The LJI team uncovered important similarities between H5N1 and these common viruses, which allowed them to predict that many people already have "cross-reactive" T cells that are ready to target H5N1—should it ever mutate to cause widespread disease in humans.

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The National Cancer Institute-designated Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC) has announced the new Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Institute for Immunotherapy for Cancer and Inflammatory Disorders. Xingxing Zang, Ph.D., an international leader in developing novel immunotherapies, has been named its inaugural director.

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Starting patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) on aggressive treatment earlier may help prevent the development of paramagnetic rim lesions (PRL), areas of chronic brain inflammation that are linked to faster decline due to the disease, suggests new research presented at the 149th Annual Meeting of the American Neurological Association (ANA). People with MS who have PRLs tend to have greater brain atrophy and disability. Treatment for MS includes low-, moderate- or high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), such as monoclonal antibodies, immunomodulators and immunosuppressants. While high-efficacy DMTs have more side effects, previous research suggests they may help prevent PRLs from forming (unlike low- or moderate-efficacy DMTs), potentially outweighing the downsides. No currently available DMT has been shown to reduce existing PRLs.