t cells
New discovery could lead to vaccines for plague and bacterial pneumonias
Saranac Lake, N.Y. — There is an ongoing battle in the “war on terror” that remains mostly unseen to the public — a race between scientists working to develop a vaccine to protect against plague and the terrorists who seek to use plague as a …
MIT researchers study the danger of toxoplasma parasites
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — About one-third of the human population is infected with a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii, but most of them don’t know it. Though Toxoplasma causes no symptoms in most people, it can be harmful to individuals with suppressed …
Researchers discover new immune system molecule that can help or harm health
Researchers have identified a new member of the important B7 family of immune system “co-stimulators.” Co-stimulators are molecules that are capable of turning the immune system on or off — and in the process, profoundly affecting human health. Mayo Clinic researchers named this newest molecule B7-H4. It inhibits the action of T cells, the immune system warriors whose basic job is to attack invaders. Turning off T cells helps transplant patients accept foreign organs. But turning off T cells harms cancer patients — their tumors continue to grow without defensive attacks by T cells. The Mayo Clinic report appears in the June 17 issue of Immunity.
Novel molecule may contribute to intestinal health
New data suggests that a novel molecule appears to be involved in the intestine’s response to infection. The study was a collaboration between researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Institut Curie in Paris. “This is the first identified function for this molecule,” says co-senior author Susan Gilfillan, Ph.D., research instructor in pathology and immunology at the School of Medicine. “Our findings suggest that this molecule may play a fundamental role in gut immunology.”