Researchers at the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are preparing to test far-UVC light to combat highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry houses without harming birds, following a devastating outbreak that drove up egg prices and forced farmers to cull tens of millions of animals. Testing Far-UVC Light in Real-World Conditions … Read more
According to a comprehensive review published in Genes & Diseases by Yining Wang and colleagues, T cell exhaustion plays a complex and dual role in organ transplantation, acting both as a mechanism to promote graft tolerance and as a source of vulnerability to infections and malignancies. The dysfunctional immune state develops during prolonged antigen exposure, … Read more
Antimicrobial Peptide Research Reveals Unexpected Bacterial Rigidity Research led by Cornell College faculty and students indicates that the antimicrobial peptide Magainin 2 induces unexpected biomechanical changes in Escherichia coli when administered at high concentrations. Contrary to previous assumptions that peptides soften bacterial cell walls, the study found that high doses cause E. coli to become … Read more
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases awarded a $2.4 million R01 grant to Dr. Jiahui Ding at Wayne State University to study how maternal viral infections reprogram the developing fetal immune system. According to the university, the five-year funding supports research at the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development to uncover … Read more
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Unique Pharmaceutical Laboratories is recalling nationwide lots of 5-mg cetirizine hydrochloride tablets—an over-the-counter antihistamine commonly sold as a generic version of Zyrtec—due to cross-contamination with ranitidine, a medication formerly marketed as Zantac used for heartburn and indigestion. The mix-up poses life-threatening anaphylaxis risks for individuals with … Read more
West Nile virus has been detected in mosquito pools in Markham, marking the first confirmed cases of the virus in York Region for the current season. According to York Region Public Health, the infected mosquitoes were trapped near Warden Avenue and Highway 7 East, as well as near Kennedy Road and 16th Avenue, prompting health … Read more
Fractional dosing of COVID-19 vaccines can provide durable, long-lasting immunity comparable to full-dose boosters, according to a multi-year international study led by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI). Findings published across Nature Communications, Frontiers in Immunology, and the Journal of Infection suggest that reducing vaccine volume could lower costs and expand access to immunization in … Read more
New Biomarkers Could Predict Chronic Critical Illness in ICU Patients Researchers have identified specific immune biomarkers that may predict which trauma patients are at risk for chronic critical illness (CCI) upon admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). According to a study published in The Journal of Immunology, patients who develop CCI—defined as an ICU … Read more
Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine have developed a two-part vaccination strategy that successfully prevented genital herpes infection in preclinical models. Published June 19 in Science Immunology, the study uses “prime and pull” technology—an initial intramuscular injection combined with localized nanoparticle delivery—to trigger a robust immune response at the vaginal lining, a feat traditional … Read more
A multi-institutional research team led by the Indiana University School of Medicine has secured a $9 million grant to investigate how immune cell aging contributes to the onset and progression of Parkinson’s disease. The project, supported by Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, will examine immune-cell exhaustion … Read more