disease & medicine, immunology

A trio of papers shows that specialized antibodies can direct T cells to destroy cells that display portions of mutant cancer-related proteins, as well as T cells that have become cancerous themselves.

Instead, the full report will be available in mid-March.

The P.1 variant, which has also been detected in five US states, could be responsible for cases of reinfection, according to a preprint.

A treatment of two monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 is ninefold less effective in the lab against the B.1.351 variant than against the dominant version of the virus.

Researchers find different distributions of the immune cells in young, older, and diseased eyes.

Males and females show differences in gene expression, cell activation, and antibody production in response to some viral infections, but whether these influence COVID-19 outcomes is still unclear.

Imaged in real time in living people, immune cells at the surface of the retina could serve as biomarkers to detect retinal and possibly neurological diseases and track their progression.

Researchers identify deletions in the N-terminal domain of the spike protein that allow the coronavirus to avoid antibody neutralization and that may contribute to the emergence of new variants.

A study of people in Sierra Leone suggests that the virus can lie in hiding from the immune system before re-emerging later and sparking a new response—although researchers didn’t examine whether this could make people infectious again.

New data suggest that the company’s approved COVID-19 vaccine protects against different virus variants, but could be less effective against the one that originated in South Africa.

A preprint casts doubt on vaccine effectiveness in light of certain mutations in the 501Y.V2 variant that emerged from South Africa.

A large study of UK healthcare workers finds that immunity after coronavirus infection lasts for months, but those with antibodies may still be able to carry and spread the virus upon reexposure.

The immunosuppressive drugs tocilizumab and sarilumab improved survival and recovery time of intensive care COVID-19 patients, according to a preprint.

An additional mutation in the spike protein of the coronavirus may help it elude antibody recognition, and scientists are investigating if current vaccines will protect against it.

Variant B.1.1.7, though likely more contagious than other strains, does not appear to be more deadly.

Differences in the expression of genes associated with antiviral immunity and lung inflammation may contribute to a more serious COVID-19 infection.

Around 100 people were infected at a scientific meeting hosted by Biogen in Boston in February. Then they went back home, taking the virus with them.

Half a year after infection, people who had recovered from COVID-19 had robust antibodies, along with traces of the virus in their gut, which may drive long-lasting immunity.

An abundance of immunoglobulin antibodies, and a paucity of viral RNA, in breastmilk offer evidence that women can safely continue breastfeeding during the pandemic.