The absence of a protein that activates the body’s antiviral defenses can cause a rare rheumatoid-like autoinflammatory condition that is treatable with an FDA-approved class of drugs known as TNF (tumor necrosis factor) inhibitors, a global research team led by Mount Sinai has found. The condition, which is now termed TBK1 deficiency, was previously known […]
Researchers uncover a way to harness the power of immunotherapy for advanced prostate cancer
It’s a scientific riddle tangled up in a complex web. How do you turn an immune cold cancer into one that responds to immunotherapy? Researchers led by the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center started with a simple thread: an inhibitor that showed promise against metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer cells. This is the most challenging […]
A new microchip could help scientists uncover secrets of heart regeneration in baby mice
Baby mice might be small, but they’re tough, too. For their first seven days of life, they have the special ability to regenerate damaged heart tissue. Humans, on the other hand, aren’t so lucky: any heart injuries we suffer could lead to permanent damage. But what if we could learn to repair our hearts, just […]
Medicaid expansion helps uncover undiagnosed HIV infections
The Medicaid expansion facilitated by the Affordable Care Act led to increases in the identification of undiagnosed HIV infections and in the use of HIV prevention services such as preexposure prophylaxis drugs, says new research co-written by a team of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign experts who study the intersection of health care and public policy. […]
Scientists uncover immune cells that may lower airway allergy and asthma risk
The world is full of house dust mites. Do some cleaning, and you’ll probably stir some up. While everyone has immune cells capable of reacting to common allergens like house dust mites, most of us have no allergic symptoms. Still, many people do react with the typical allergic symptoms: sneezing, a runny nose, and itchy, […]