Researchers have long studied how the body’s circadian rhythm influences immune function, with disruptions often linked to increased inflammation. A team from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) University of Medicine and Health Sciences previously examined how immune cells called macrophages operate without a functional body clock. Now,…

When a patient begins to experience inflammation, a key driver of many human diseases, the proverbial horse has already left the barn. “If you’re feeling that you’re inflamed, it probably means the inflammation has already taken off,’” Shana O. Kelley, PhD, an expert in the development of electrochemical sensors, told…

Kathy Dong, PharmDpresident and CEOElectra Therapeutics Kathy Dong, PharmD, is the president and CEO of Electra Therapeutics, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing antibody therapies against novel targets for immunological diseases and cancer. The company’s lead drug candidate, ELA026, is a first-in-class monoclonal antibody that represents…

New research funded by the NIH National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute (NHLBI) has identified a combination of biomarkers that can predict a woman’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease over the next 30 years. The study, presented as late-breaking research at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2024 and published in…

Mutated C9orf72 may cause many cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) through the overproduction of Interleukin-17A (IL-17A), a potent inflammatory molecule, according to new work from researchers at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and collaborators. Treatments that block IL-17A have already been approved by the U.S.…

Researchers from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have made significant strides in understanding rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through new research that provides a cellular atlas of RA defining six subtypes of inflammation. The study, published in Nature, examined the cellular drivers of RA by…

Researchers at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and the Charité University Hospital in Berlin, Germany, have engineered a new type of specialized T cell that can be used to treat autoimmune encephalitis. Autoimmune encephalitis is a condition in which the body’s own antibodies cross the blood-brain barrier and…

Research led by Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences shows that certain species of gut fungi, notably Candida albicans, increase in numbers during serious COVID-19 infection and appear to contribute to the excessive and damaging inflammation seen in these patients. High levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against fungi…

Brain inflammation as a child can affect the development of two rare types of cerebellar neurons and could provide an insight into its role in conditions such as autism and schizophrenia. Researchers found that Purkinje and Golgi neurons were vulnerable to brain inflammation and showed premature disruption in their maturation.…

A $100 million gift from Gene Lay, the founder and CEO of antibody and reagents company BioLegend, will establish The Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation of Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Other organizations involved with the new institute include Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School (HMS). Vijay Kuchroo,…

A gene variant, linked with facial flushing after drinking alcohol, may increase the risk of heart disease by affecting the inner cells lining blood vessels, a study suggests. Researchers found that the aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2*2) polymorphism could impair vascular function by increasing oxidative stress and inflammation in the endothelium.…

Antidepressant use during pregnancy combined with inflammation may heighten the risk of lifelong neurodevelopmental changes in babies’ brains, such as those linked to autism, new research from the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Medicine suggests. The study appears in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. “Our results might help to explain…

COVID-19 activates the same inflammatory response in the brain as Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions, according to research led by University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. This group’s findings may explain why some people who have had COVID-19 are more vulnerable to developing neurological symptoms. The team also found a…

Research led by scientists at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. shows that higher expression of the inflammatory biomarker interleukin (IL)-6 can influence brain structure in regions of the brain linked to conditions such as autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. The results support earlier findings showing high levels of…

A study of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has found that the viral protein NS2 may act to deter the body’s inflammatory response to respiratory viruses. The researchers determined that if the virus lacks this protein, the human body’s immune response can destroy it before inflammation causes severe symptoms, including  pneumonia.…