In the world of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, B cells usually steal the spotlight. However, T cells, which are a different type of white blood cell, also play a role in this disease. They are often overlooked, but their actions can significantly impact how the disease progresses. This is because T cells can either fight the cancer or sometimes, surprisingly, help it ...
Dengue fever is a serious issue in many parts of the world. It is caused by a virus that can lead to severe symptoms. But did you know that some people get infected without showing any signs of illness? This is called an inapparent infection. Scientists have been looking into why this happens. They found that the strength of a person's immune response plays a bi...
Hepatitis E is a liver infection that can be quite serious. It is caused by a virus. The body's immune system plays a big role in fighting it off. The immune system has a memory. It remembers how to fight off infections it has seen before. This memory is crucial for preventing future infections. A recent study looked at how the immune system remembers hepatitis ...
Imagine a tiny fish, swimming in a crowded tank. It's vulnerable to diseases, one of which is piscine francisellosis. This nasty infection, caused by a bacterium called Francisella orientalis, can wipe out entire populations of tilapia, a popular fish for farming. Currently, there are no approved treatments or vaccines to protect these fish. But what if there was a w...
Imagine fighting cancer with a supercharged immune system. Scientists have been working on ways to make immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) more effective. ICB is a treatment that helps the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells. The problem is, it doesn't always work as well as we'd like. One big reason is that cancer cells can hide from the immune system, mak...
Glioblastoma is a nasty type of brain cancer that's super tough to treat. Doctors have been trying out a new trick to fight it: oncolytic viruses. These viruses are designed to target and kill cancer cells while also ramping up the body's immune response. But there's a catch. These viruses don't stick around for long, and the body's natural defenses can kick them out...
Cancer treatment has changed a lot with immunotherapy. But herein lies the problem. Some patients do not respond well to treatment. This is on top of having to deal with serious side effects caused by the immune system going into overdrive. Scientists have found a novel way to tackle this. These smart scientists developed a new kind of injectable ...
Have you ever wondered why some people get really sick from COVID-19 while others barely notice it? A lot has to do with our genes. Scientists looked into how changes in two genes, FAS and FASL, affect how severe COVID-19 can be and if it leads to long-term symptoms. These genes play a role in T-cell death, which can cause lymphopenia, a condition where you have fewe...
Imagine you're fighting off a new infection like COVID-19. Your T-cells, the immune system's special forces, play a crucial role. But why do some people's T-cells respond better than others? Age and inflammation have a lot to do with it, especially when it comes to severe COVID-19 cases. Scientists looked into this, focusing on patients infected during the first wav...
Imagine you're at war with tiny invaders. Your body's immune cells, like soldiers, need to know where to strike. One key soldier here is a protein called Granzyme B (GzmB). It plays a huge role in fighting off bacterial infections by causing bacteria to self-destruct. Scientists have created a sort of glowing beacon to spot GzmB in action. This beacon helps them see ...