Immunology

Stem-cell-based strategy boosts immune system in mice

Raising hopes for cell-based therapies, UC San Francisco researchers have created the first functioning human thymus tissue from embryonic stem cells in the laboratory. The researchers showed that, in mice, the tissue can ...

Immunology

Artificial thymus tissue enables maturation of immune cells

The thymus plays a key role in the body's immune response. It is here where the T lymphocytes or T cells, a major type of immune defence cells, mature. Different types of T cells, designated to perform specific tasks, arise ...

Immunology

How the thymus trains T cells to fight infections

T cells are a special class of white blood cells that patrol the body and attack infected or foreign tissue. They learn to distinguish friendly proteins from dangerous ones in an organ called the thymus. However, when T cells ...

Medical research

Researchers identify stem cells in the thymus for the first time

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have identified stem cells in the human thymus for the first time. These cells represent a potential new target to understand immune diseases and cancer and how to boost the immune ...

Genetics

Scientists map genes controlling immune system 'brakes'

Unlike most T cells, which launch immune responses against foreign molecules, regulatory T cells are the peacekeepers of the human immune system, damping down inflammatory reactions when they're not needed. Now, researchers ...

Immunology

Study identifies key player in T cell 'education'

Vanderbilt researchers have identified a protein that is key to the "education" of immature T cells in the thymus. The findings, reported in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, could inform therapeutic strategies for enhancing ...

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