Yerkes researchers propose ambitious new strategies for AIDS vaccine research
...ost vaccines are based on conventional strategies that work by triggering the body's immune system to produce antibodies or killer T cells against the invading organism. The AIDS virus, however, attacks the immune system, leaving it handicapped and unable to mount an immune response. Therefore, conventionally...Bcl6 gene sculpts helper T cell to boost antibody production
...ters are powerful machines that churn out lots of antibodies. In the adaptive immune system, B cells present an antigen - a distinctive piece of an invading bacterium or virus - to T cells. The bound antigen converts a nave T cell to a helper T cell that secretes cytokines which help the B cells expand and...Gene Mutation Could Be Key to Rare Blood Vessel Disease
...o-called complement system." The complement system is a complex set of proteins in the blood and on cells that work together to rapidly destroy any invading pathogens such as bacteria or viruses, but without damaging any of the host cells, particularly the blood vessel endothelial cells, Conway explained. ...Inflammation may trigger Alzheimer's disease, Saint Louis University findings suggest
...n, which is part of the body's natural immune response, occurs when the body activates white blood cells and produces chemicals to fight infection and invading foreign substances. "We induced inflammation in mice and found that it turned off the LRP pump that lets amyloid beta protein exit the brain into ...Newly appreciated membrane estrogen receptor important therapeutic target for breast cancer
...egrin 51). Filardo says, "Activation of integrin 51 by GPR30 is a significant event because it provides a way for invading cells to gain hold once they metastasize to tissues distant to the primary breast cancer. This happens because activated integrin 51 c...Structures from the human immune system's oldest branch shed light on a range of diseases
...w structures, both involving a central component of an enzyme important to the complement system of the immune response, reveal how this system fights invading microbes while avoiding problems of the body attacking itself. The structures may pave the way to more efficient therapeutics for such complement-m...Vanderbilt researchers pioneer an advanced sepsis detection and management system
...s can be acquired outside the hospital, but those acquired in the hospital are more difficult to manage because many patients are already weak and the invading bacteria are more likely to be drug-resistant strains. According to a study conducted by the Emory University School of Medicine and the Centers f...Trimming the fat boosts blood recovery after marrow transplant
... "Rather, they make it harder to recover from chemotherapy or radiation because they actively suppress blood production. If we could prevent them from invading the bone marrow, patients might be able to recover faster from marrow and cord-blood transplants." Mice that were treated with a compound that inhi...Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Might Fight Swine Flu
...lood cells, whose function is to fight off infection. "Memory" T-cells are a subset of T lymphocytes. They are "good" in that they can fight off an invading virus, but "bad" because they can also contribute to a hyperactive immune system that can lead to more illness and even death. When a person becom...Reprogrammable Cell Type Depends on a Single Gene to Keep Its Identity
...cape from capillaries, which provide nutrients to the body's cells. The lymphatic vasculature is also part of the immune system that traps and attacks invading organisms and is a primary route for malignant tumor dissemination to the regional lymph nodes. "The new finding adds to a growing body of e...Parasites That Live Inside Cells Use Loophole to Thwart Immune System
...the biochemical mechanism by which the organisms triggered arginase--finding that the microbes hijack the machinery by which the macrophages recognize invading pathogens. Also working with mice, the researchers tested whether shutting down arginase might enhance the ability to battle tuberculosis. They foun...St. Jude Study Shows How T Cell's Machinery Dials Down Autoimmunity
...justment enables T cells to modulate their development and function, including avoiding autoimmunity. In autoimmune disease, rather than attacking invading microbes, the immune system attacks the body's own organs, tissues or cells. Some 80 autoimmune diseases are known, including type 1 diabetes, multipl...Drug in New Hepatitis C Clinical Trial
...taneously administered drug at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. Oglufanide disodium regulates the body's innate immune response to defeat invading germs and cancer cells. The drug is also under development by Implicit as a biodefense therapy and for ovarian cancer. ...Plant protein 'doorkeepers' block invading microbes, study finds
A group of plant proteins that "shut the door" on bacteria that would otherwise infect the plant's leaves has been identified for the first time by a team of researchers in Denmark, at the University of California, Davis, and at UC Berkeley. Findings from the study, which will appear June 29 in...Plant protein 'doorkeepers' block invading microbes, study finds
A group of plant proteins that "shut the door" on bacteria that would otherwise infect the plant's leaves has been identified for the first time by a team of researchers in Denmark, at the University of California, Davis, and at UC Berkeley. Findings from the study, which will appear June 29 in...Aggressive aquatic species invading Great Lakes
Foreign species, such as zebra mussels and carp, are invading the Great Lakes and changing the ecology of this vital ecosystem. A study from McMaster University published in the March issue of the Journal of Great Lakes Research suggests that for the round goby, a recently introduced fish species, ...Restoring a natural root signal helps to fight a major corn pest
...ethods to control the rootworm pest include insecticides, crop rotation and transgenic Bt maize lines that are not yet approved in Europe. After first invading the Balkans, the pest has since 2007 also been found in southern Germany. The corn rootworm larvae feed on root hairs and bore themselves into the mai...Toward an explanation for Crohn's disease?
...published on July 9th in the Journal of Experimental Medicine . When the NOD2 gene functions normally, it codes for a receptor that will recognize invading bacteria and then trigger the immune response. This study demonstrates that the NOD2 receptor preferentially recognizes a peptide called N-glycolyl-MD...Nitrogen research shows how some plants invade, take over others
...luxes in the ecosystem that included seven grassland and forest species, including the Eastern white pine ( Pinus strobus ), a species that is rapidly invading Minnesota prairies. Over time they discovered that the pine had accrued nearly twice as much biomass as the next most productive species, and more tha...Jeepers creepers: Climate change threatens endangered honeycreepers
... As climate change causes temperatures to increase in Hawaii's mountains, deadly non-native bird diseases will likely also creep up the mountains, invading most of the last disease-free refuges for honeycreepers a group of endangered and remarkable birds. A just-published U.S. Geological Survey (USGS...LSUHSC research describes function of key protein in cancer spread
...s to define IQGAP1 function and perhaps the design of a small molecule to regulate Cdc42/IQGAP1 interaction to prevent cancer cells from moving to and invading other parts of the body," concludes Dr. Worthylake. According to the American Cancer Society, metastatic cancer is a cancer that has spread from it...Scientists learn why the flu may turn deadly
...y found elevated levels of cytokines, they also found a decreased response of toll-like receptors, which activate immune cell responses as a result of invading microbes. This suggests that the diminished response of these receptors may be responsible for the paralysis of the immune system, leading to seconda...Repair Stem Cell Institute Weighs in on Reversal of Embryonic Stem Cell Policy
...o scientist in the world, not just America, has a clue on how to stop the inevitable cancer threat of ESC. Third, our bodies are built to destroy invading enemies. ESCs are so perceived by the human immune system and always will be. Fourth, California, with $275 million of stem cell funding to give ...Virginia Tech researchers discover how mosquitoes avoid succumbing to viruses they transmit
...e is a war going on," said Zach Adelman, assistant professor of entomology at Virginia Tech. The war is at the cellular level, between the host and invading RNA the strands of code that produce different kinds of viral proteins. The mediators that balance the interactions between mosquito and virus are...Glowing zebrafish help researchers track role of sugars in the cell
...food, but the surface of any cell in our body is adorned with a ton of sugars as well as proteins that allow cells to communicate with other cells and invading pathogens," said UC Berkeley graduate student Jeremy M. Baskin. "People have had for many years the ability to image specific proteins, but not carboh...Nanoemulsion vaccines show increasing promise
... immunity to the virus that includes cellular immunity, antibody immunity and mucosal immunity, Baker says. In antibody immunity, antibodies bind invading microbes as they circulate through the body. In cellular immunity, the immune system attacks invaders inside infected cells. There is growing interest...Honey bee invaders exploit the genetic resources of their predecessors
... particular alleles, or variants, occur in functional and nonfunctional parts of the honey bee genome, the researchers were able to determine that the invading bees were not just randomly acquiring genetic material from their predecessors by interbreeding with them, but that certain genes from the previously ...Montana State University lab gives early warnings about biological invaders
...ural pests and keep the system ready for emergencies. "We are sent mystery samples," says Burrows. The team identifies whether the samples are true invading pests or harmless look-alikes. Part of the national funding has purchased a Web-enabled microscope, which allows the diagnostic team at MSU to confer ...NovaBay Pharmaceuticals Prices Initial Public Offering of Common Stock
...nds, which it has named Aganocide compounds, which are based upon small molecules that are generated by white blood cells that defend the body against invading pathogens. NovaBay believes that Aganocide compounds could form a platform on which to create a variety of products to address differing needs in the ...Scientists discover how cancer may take hold
...bodys first defenders against hostile invaders, are quashed, permitting the invading cancer to spread. The same cycle could also be involved in autoimmune disea...alance in adults. T-cells also depend on it for their immune response after invading cells have been recognized. If they dont get enough tryptophan, the T-cells...Scientists find way to make human collagen in lab
...milarly, equipped with molecules to recognize specific pathogens, such a sensor could stand perpetual guard in the body and provide instant warning of invading viruses or bacteria. "We can have total control of what goes on these very thin extended fibers," says Raines. "We are able to build these molecule...