Patients with a type of blood cancer called multiple myeloma had a widely variable response to COVID-19 vaccines—in some cases, no detectable response—pointing to the need for antibody testing and precautions for these patients after vaccination, according to a study that will be published in Cancer Cell this week. Mount Sinai researchers found that multiple […]
Prolonged immune response may contribute to post-COVID-19 blood clots
Serious complications due to blood clots, such as heart attacks and strokes, that are experienced by some COVID-19 survivors may be caused by a lingering immune response in the blood vessels after recovery, suggests a study published today in eLife. The findings may help explain why some COVID-19 survivors, so-called ‘long-haulers’, report lasting COVID-19 symptoms […]
Immune cells in cerebrospinal fluid predict response to immunotherapy
Results from a study led by Joan Seoane, Director of Preclinical and Translational Research co-program at VHIO and ICREA Professor, show that immune cells accessing cerebrospinal fluid faithfully recapitulate the characteristics of cells identified in brain metastasis, and could therefore constitute novel biomarkers of response to immune-based therapies. Immune checkpoint inhibitors including anti-PD1, anti-PD-L1, and […]
Proton therapy induces biologic response to attack treatment-resistant cancers
Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a novel proton therapy technique to more specifically target cancer cells that resist other forms of treatment. The technique is called LEAP, an acronym for “biologically enhanced particle therapy.” The findings are published today in Cancer Research, the journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. “The human body receives […]
Earliest signs of an immune response found in developing embryos
Researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) reveal that newly formed embryos clear dying cells to maximize their chances of survival. It is the earliest display of an innate immune response found in vertebrate animals to date. The findings, which are published today in the journal Nature, may aid future efforts to understand why […]
Immune response to insulin could identify, help treat those at risk for type 1 diabetes
Researchers from the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have found that immune responses to insulin could help identify individuals most at risk for developing Type 1 diabetes. The study, out recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, measured immune responses from individuals genetically […]
‘Follow the science’ and other principles of Biden’s pandemic response plan
Entering the White House at the height of a global pandemic, President-elect Joe Biden’s administration plans to respond by ramping up and simplifying the vaccination process, tackling equity issues, and, above all, following the science, according to two members of Biden’s COVID-19 task force. “From vaccines to therapeutics, to diagnostics, to other public health recommendations, […]
COVID-19 response shows how an informal rule of law plays a supporting role in society
Through much of the last year, COVID-19 has propelled many people to accept and follow new patterns of behavior. These include wearing a mask in public, attempting to socially distance and restricting groups to smaller numbers. Developed in what critics say was an absence of strong national leadership, these behaviors have been policed, by and […]
Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout draws wary, mixed response
While excitement and enthusiasm greeted the Western-developed coronavirus vaccine when it was rolled out, the Russian-made version has received a mixed response, with reports of empty Moscow clinics that offered the shot to health care workers and teachers—the first members of the public designated to receive it. Kremlin officials and state-controlled media touted the Sputnik […]
Coronavirus crippling emergency response agencies: ‘What if you call EMS and nobody comes?’
Emergency Medical Services struggle to stay afloat amid pandemic In addition to the mental and physical toll the virus is taking on these men and women, prices of certain PPE materials has more than tripled, striking the EMS industry with a major financial blow. DALLAS, Texas – The coronavirus pandemic has strained the country's hospital […]