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Allergy and immunology news

Breakdown of immune cells' interaction is key driver in aging, study finds

We may age at different rates, but none of us escapes aging. A study in mice and human cells by Stanford Medicine researchers pins much of the blame on a particular type of immune cell's increasing inability, with advancing ...

Immune receptor plays dual role in promoting T-cell exhaustion in cancer

A new Northwestern Medicine study has uncovered how a key immunoregulatory receptor plays an unexpected dual role in promoting T-cell exhaustion during chronic infection and cancer, according to findings published in the ...

Study sheds light on a misunderstood childhood food allergy

A few hours after eating, an infant may suddenly experience a severe reaction that leaves his or her parents searching for answers. Such episodes may be caused by food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES), a condition ...

Herpes immune response linked to Alzheimer's disease

New research has demonstrated a mechanistic link between the immune response to herpesviruses—the family of viruses related to cold sores, childhood infections and mononucleosis—and an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. ...

What a 'silenced' chromosome can tell us about autoimmunity

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most common form of lupus, is an autoimmune disorder that occurs more frequently in women. Having multiple X chromosomes has been associated with an increased risk of developing lupus; ...

Mapping the hidden rules of a key immune sensor

The immune system depends on molecular alarms that detect danger inside cells. One of these alarms is STING, short for "stimulator of interferon genes." STING helps cells respond to infections, damaged DNA and cancer. When ...

Gut fungi may hold the key to treating asthma worldwide

Two new studies jointly published in Nature Communications reveal that certain species of fungi in the gut play a key role in the development of immune dysregulation and some pediatric allergic diseases—and may be promising ...

Why pollution affects some asthma patients more than others

For many people with asthma, air-quality advisories are harbingers of worsening symptoms. But for reasons science has struggled to explain, the extent to which pollution exacerbates asthma varies widely from person to person.

How RSV manipulates the immune response in respiratory cells

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can cause severe lower respiratory tract infections, particularly in newborns and older adults. How the virus manages to evade the immune system and what changes it triggers in infected cells ...

Can we cure asthma? Yes, and we have a plan

Asthma is conventionally viewed as "treatable but incurable." In other words, we can manage its symptoms but not reverse the underlying condition. But advances in science are challenging this view, and we think a cure may ...