Tag: Immune System

A new study has suggested that T cells might retain a pro-inflammatory phenotype long after normal weight is regained following a period of obesity. In mice, the effect lasts for weeks, while its existence and duration in humans are to be determined [1]. The inflammation that stays Obesity is a chronic, relapsing condition linked to...

An investigation into the aging immune system identified age-related changes, including sex-dependent differences, in immune cell subpopulations and gene expression. In general, females showed greater age-related changes than males, including greater changes in autoimmune gene expression [1]. Cell-by-cell analysis Aging results in changes to the function and composition of immune cells, collectively referred to as...

A new study shows that hitting a sauna for 30 minutes causes a transient spike in the number of circulating white blood cells. The researchers suggest that this exercise-like effect might provide health benefits by improving immune surveillance [1]. How does a sauna do its trick? Robust epidemiological data has associated sauna use with health...

Arming NK and T cells with metabolite-sensing receptors enhances their ability to infiltrate tumors and improves cancer outcomes in mice in a new study [1]. How to get immune cells into the tumor? One of the central challenges in cancer immunotherapy is getting the right immune cells to the right place. Natural killer (NK) cells...

In a new study, an ingenious CRISPR-based tool was used to create CAR T cells in vivo instead of the usual in vitro approach. It showed higher efficacy across three cancer types, including a solid tumor [1]. CAR T therapies: promising but imperfect Ideally, T cells, the killer cells of our adaptive immune systems, should...

Researchers publishing in Aging Cell have discovered how older organisms' susceptibility to pneumonia is related to inflammatory factors. Short-lived infection fighters Polymorphonuclear leukocytes, more commonly known as neutrophils, are part of the first line of defense against lung infections. Illnesses cause these immune cells to be recruited from the bone marrow in a process called...