Alzheimer’s disease has a higher incidence in women. This sex difference was associated with a modification of certain proteins of the immune system. According to a recent study, the drop in estrogen with menopause increased the expression in the brain of a neurotransmitter, nitric oxide (NO), generating the S-nitrosylation of complement factor C3 (abbreviated SNO-C3), which activated the microglia.

Both neutralizing antibodies and antibody effector functions are needed for protection against re-infection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which may explain why it has been challenging to design an effective vaccine against the virus. As reported in the Dec. 12, 2022, issue of Cell, researchers carried out a human challenge study where volunteers were given a candidate vaccine for RSV, Ad26, or placebo.

Ovarian cancer is ordinarily associated with poor survival; patients diagnosed with high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSC) have an overall survival of about 40% at 5 years and 15% at 10 years. Despite having similar histologic features, HGSC patients often experience highly variable outcomes and the underlying determinants for long-term survival (LTS) are largely unknown. In a study published online in Nature Genetics, a multi-institutional group of researchers tried to determine the molecular differences that drive LTS in patients with HGSC.

New research has identified a novel receptor that interacts with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) by which the SARS-CoV-2 enters host cells, and shown it can be inhibited with marketed drugs, reducing expression of ACE2 and blocking viral entry.

Research conducted at Inflection Biosciences Ltd. and affiliated organizations has led to the discovery of a novel pan-PIM kinase inhibitor, IBL-101, as a potential therapeutic candidate for autoimmune disease, including psoriasis.

Mast cells (MCs) are tissue-resident immune cells and are responsible for allergic and inflammatory processes. One potential approach for targeting MCs is to engage inhibitory receptors that can silence MC activation, such as sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectins (siglecs). Siglec-6 is an inhibitory receptor expressed on human MCs and represents an attractive therapeutic target for this purpose. Siglec-6 engagement with a monoclonal antibody (MAb) was recently shown to inhibit MC activation in vitro.

Does cancer cause autoimmune disease or is it the other way around? In looking at the question of which comes first, the chicken or the egg, researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Australia found that a genetic mutation that alters immune cells in leukemia is behind certain autoimmune disorders.

Emergex Vaccines Holding Ltd. has generated a chikungunya virus (CHIKV) ligandome, the first major milestone in the development of the company's CD8+ T-cell CHIKV adaptive vaccine candidate. Using an immunoproteomics approach, naturally presented MHC Class I-restricted peptides on the surface of a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-typed cell line infected with CHIKV virus were extracted and identified.