immunology, disease & medicine

The presence of a particular set of RNAs in the blood forewarns of an onset of severe symptoms and points to the cells involved.

Meet some of the people featured in the July/August 2020 issue of The Scientist.

Through groundbreaking studies on dengue and efforts to build scientific infrastructure in Latin America, the University of California, Berkeley, professor has bridged research with its benefits to society.

A small subset of uninfected people also had SARS-CoV-2-fighting T cells, a finding that scientists are still trying to figure out.

The results, while preliminary, suggest that survivors of SARS-CoV-2 infection may be susceptible to reinfection within weeks or months.

The cholesterol-lowering drugs quell inflammation and reverse endothelial tissue damage, hints that they might curb the body’s excessive immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

By revealing that animals could develop immune responses against their own tissues, the physician-scientist established an entirely new field of science.

Specialized exosomes sop up bacterial toxins, a study finds.

The viral protein known as ORF3b limits the induction of the type I interferon response, which typically alerts other immune system components to the presence of a virus, in cultured cells.

Affectionate touches tap into the nervous system’s rest and digest mode, reducing the release of stress hormones, bolstering the immune system, and stimulating brainwaves linked with relaxation.

A clinical trial of the shot in eight volunteers suggests that it is safe and that it generates antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2, but further testing is needed, scientists say.

While the finding doesn’t prove people become immune to the virus after infection, it is good news for vaccine development.

Data from a crowdsourcing smartphone app is helping to track the spread of the disease in real time and reveals the symptom as the number one indicator of infection.

Studies are underway to test whether giving a shot of BCG vaccine could protect doctors and nurses against COVID-19.

Studies from serum samples could transform our understanding of the spread of COVID-19, but what antibodies alone say about immunity is not yet clear.

By studying influenza in mice and cells, researchers identify a glucose metabolism pathway critical to the dysregulated immune response that kills many infectious disease patients, including those with COVID-19.

Federal agencies, academic institutions, and industrial partners are joining forces to combat COVID-19 using artificial intelligence.

Under emergency protocols, doctors can request to use survivors’ plasma to treat some critically ill COVID-19 patients.  

Infected children may harbor SARS-CoV-2 while showing less-severe symptoms than adults. Their young immune systems, ACE2 receptor levels, and even exposure to other coronaviruses might play a role in their resilience.

There is no evidence backing the idea that SARS-CoV-2 originated from US servicemembers visiting Wuhan.