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The thymus gland—which produces immune T cells before birth and during childhood— is often regarded as nonfunctional in adults, and it's sometimes removed during cardiac surgery for easier access to the heart and major blood vessels. New research has uncovered evidence that the thymus is in fact critical for adult health generally and for preventing cancer and perhaps autoimmune disease. Five years after surgery, 8.1% of patients who had a thymectomy died compared with 2.8% of those who did not have their thymus removed, equating to a 2.9-times higher risk of death. Also during that time, 7.4% of patients in...

he mRNA vaccines were released globally in early 2021 with the slogan ‘safe and effective.’ Unusually for a new class of medicine, they were soon recommended by public health authorities for pregnant women. By late 2021, working-age women, including those who were pregnant, were being thrown out of employment for not agreeing to be injected. Those who took the mRNA vaccines did so based on trust in health authorities – the assumption being that they would not have been approved if the evidence was not absolutely clear. The role of regulatory agencies was to protect the public and, therefore, if...

PHILADELPHIA—Messenger-RNA (mRNA) vaccines against the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 provoke a swift and strong response by the immune system’s T cells—the heavy armor of the immune system—according to a study from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Although recent studies of vaccines tend to focus on the antibody response, the T-cell response is also an important and potentially more durable source of protection—yet little has been reported so far on the T-cell response to COVID-19 vaccines. In the new study, which appears in the journal Immunity, the Penn Medicine researchers analyzed the T-cell responses...

Sort of a PSA intended for those that have already had Covid, or suspect that they have, and cleared the sickness. There is now a way via testing to demonstrate that you have the immunization via T-cell testing.

Killer T cells surround a cancer cell. Credit: NIH ========================================================= ANSTO has contributed to a comprehensive investigation of a promising type of nanoparticle that could potentially be used for intractable brain cancers in a combined therapy. The study, which was led by Dr. Moeava Tehei and researchers from the University of Wollongong in combination with clinical partners, characterized and evaluated the properties of nanoparticles made from lanthanum manganite, that were doped with silver atoms. The investigators found that the nanoparticles had potential clinical application for their synergistic effects to be used in combination with radiation treatment, hyperthermia (using heat to...

Please end the mask theater now”.. Senator Rand Paul shared video Wednesday of CDC Director Rochelle Walensky announcing that new data suggests vaccinated and recovered people do not carry Covid-19. Paul directed his comments at White House chief medical advisor Anthony Fauci, writing “paging Dr Fauci: please end the mask theater now that cdc admits evidence that the vaccinated do not carry the virus.” In a further post, Paul also shared a study examining T cell responses in people who have recovered from Covid-19. “T cell immunity after natural infection shown to include variants,” Paul, who is also a physician,...

A human plasma cell. =============================================================== For the millions of us plagued by hypersensitive, overactive, or downright abusive immune systems, it can feel like you're constantly fighting your own physical self. From incessant allergies to life-threatening anaphylaxis and debilitating autoimmune disease, the system that's supposed to be protecting us can be problematic when it goes wrong. Now, we might be closer to fixing these issues in an entirely new way. Using transgenic mice and cultures of cells taken from human tonsils, researchers have now found evidence of how our bodies might defend against the mistakes that result in conditions such as...

A newly-discovered part of our immune system could be harnessed to treat all cancers, say scientists. The Cardiff University team discovered a method of killing prostate, breast, lung and other cancers in lab tests. The findings, published in Nature Immunology, have not been tested in patients, but the researchers say they have "enormous potential". Experts said that although the work was still at an early stage, it was very exciting. What have they found? Our immune system is our body's natural defence against infection, but it also attacks cancerous cells. The scientists were looking for "unconventional" and previously undiscovered ways...

Harnessing the body's own defense forces to fight cancer with nanoscale technology. In the myriad advances in treating cancer, many a nanotech study has crossed DailyTech’s path. This week another such study was revealed by the journal Nature Medicine (abstract). In the past, we’ve seen all sorts of man-made nanoparticles both acting as a force of cell destruction and as a ferry, shipping anti-tumor drugs straight to cancer cells where they can be of the most benefit. This latest method by Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers is akin to the latter, but instead of using nanoparticles to deliver drugs, they...

A section of brain from a mouse with multiple sclerosis-like disease induced by viral infection. The fluorescently stained image shows a type of killer white blood cell, called CD8+ T cells (colored green), invading the brain and attracting other immune cells (red) that degrade the nerve protein myelin. Myelin forms a sheath around nerves. When the myelin sheath is damaged, the nerve is like a frayed electrical cord that no longer transmits correctly. A virus infection can incite the body to attack its own nerve tissue by activating unusual, disease-fighting cells with receptors for both viral and nerve proteins. The...

<p>WASHINGTON -- Scientists said yesterday they had transformed ordinary human skin cells into immune cells in an experiment that, if it can be repeated, might do away with the need for either stem cells or cloning for many medical therapies.</p>