Latest Innate immune system Stories

A study led by researchers at the University of North Carolina indicates that a newly approved blood thinner that blocks a key component of the human blood clotting system may increase the risk and severity of certain viral infections, including flu and myocarditis, a viral infection of the heart and a significant cause of sudden death in children and young adults. For the past 50 years, people with the heartbeat irregularity, atrial fibrillation, and others at increased risk for forming...

The innate immune system detects invasive pathogens and activates defense mechanisms to eliminate them. Pathogens, however, employ a variety of tricks to block this process. A new study shows how the measles virus thwarts the system, by means of a simple hairpin-like structure. The innate immune system is the body’s first line of defense against invasive pathogens and noxious chemicals. Essentially the system consists of an array of receptors that recognize particular molecular...

A Kansas State University-led study has uncovered new information that helps scientists better understand the complex workings of cells in the innate immune system. The findings may also lead to new avenues in disease control and prevention. Philip Hardwidge, associate professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, was the study's principal investigator. He and colleagues looked at the relationship between a bacterial protein and the innate immune system -- a system of defensive cells...

IFIT antiviral protein recognizes foreign RNA and blocks viral infections Researchers at McGill University and the Research Center for Molecular Medicine (CeMM) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences have discovered the molecular blueprint behind the IFIT protein. This key protein enables the human immune system to detect viruses and prevent infection by acting as foot soldiers guarding the body against infection. They recognize foreign viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) produced by the virus and...

PRINCETON, N.J., Dec. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Soligenix, Inc. (OTCQB: SNGX) (Soligenix or the Company), a development stage biopharmaceutical company, announced today the acquisition of a novel drug technology, known as SGX94, representing a unique approach to modulation of the innate immune system. SGX94 is an innate defense regulator (IDR) that regulates the innate immune system to reduce inflammation, eliminate infection and enhance tissue healing by binding to the pivotal...

Influenza curbs part of the immune system and abets bacterial infections When infected with influenza, the body becomes an easy target for bacteria. The flu virus alters the host's immune system and compromises its capacity to effectively fight off bacterial infections. Now, a team of immunologists at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and cooperation partners has discovered that an immune system molecule called TLR7 is partly to blame. The molecule recognizes the viral...

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Celtaxsys, Inc., a private biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of drugs to treat inflammatory disorders through innate immunity, today announced the appointment of life sciences technology expert, Brett A. Premack, Ph.D., as Chief Technology Officer. "Dr. Brett Premack has a wealth of drug development expertise and high level strategic leadership in bringing successful new anti-inflammatory products to the clinic, which is an...

Researchers Identify How Mosquito Immune System Attacks Specific Infections Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have determined a new mechanism by which the mosquitoes’ immune system can respond with specificity to infections with various pathogens, including the parasite that causes malaria in humans, using one single gene. Unlike humans and other animals, insects do not make antibodies to target specific infections. According to the Johns Hopkins...

Studies led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital show that a protein working on the frontlines of the immune response dampens inflammation and might offer a completely new approach to fighting bacterial infections MEMPHIS, Tenn., July 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists has identified a possible new approach to defeating bacterial infections by targeting an innate immune system component in a bid to invigorate the...

Key protein's double wing-like crystal structure captures secreted molecules from invading pathogens, activating the body's powerful immune response Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have unlocked the structure of a key protein that, when sensing certain viruses and bacteria, triggers the body's immediate immune response. In the journal Molecular Cell, scientists describe the double wing-like crystal structure of this key protein, known as STING, which is a soldier on the...