header logo image


Page 28«..1020..27282930..40..»

Archive for September, 2020

CollPlant Biotechnologies Signs Distribution Agreement for its Vergenix Flowable Gel Product in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) -…

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

REHOVOT, Israel, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

CollPlant (NASDAQ: CLGN) a regenerative and aesthetic medicine company, today announced that it has signed an agreement for distribution of its VergenixFlowable Gel (FG) product in six Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Uzbekistan.

The Company also reported that it has received the first order in an amount ofhundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars. Based on deal terms, CollPlant will deliver a portion of the order immediately and the remainder over the next six months. The distributor is a Swiss-headquartered pharmaceutical group of companies and the agreement is for a five-year period.

"This distribution agreement will enable new patient populations in the CIS to benefit from Vergenix FG use, which has also already elicited positive feedback in Europe for rapid recovery of chronic wounds," said Yehiel Tal, CEO of CollPlant. "We are proud of the transformative potential of our recombinant human collagen platform technology that facilitates optimal treatment options for patients and remain open to additional collaborations that will bolster commercial infrastructure for Vergenix FG as well as support for our pipeline development efforts. At the same time, we continue to strategically focus on innovative applications of our rhCollagen in medical aesthetics and 3D Bioprinting of organs and tissues. "

Vergenix FG is based on the Company's rhCollagen technology and is a wound-care product designed to treat acute and chronic hard-to-heal wounds, such as diabetic ulcers, pressure sores, surgical cuts and trauma wounds. A single applicationof the product provides an optimized treatment for the healing process until full wound closure.

Recently, a study was publishedin The Diabetic Foot Journal, Vol 23 No 2 2020, byIacopi E et al from the University Hospital in Pisa,Italy. The study demonstrated thatVergenixFG had excellent clinical outcomes inpatientswith post-surgicaldiabetic footwounds. VergenixFG has received CE marking and other regulatory approvals that allow sales and treatments in Europe, Israel and other countries.

About CollPlant

CollPlant is a regenerative and aesthetic medicine company focused on 3D bioprinting of tissues and organs, and medical aesthetics. Our products are based on our rhCollagen (recombinant human collagen) that is produced with CollPlant's proprietary plant based genetic engineering technology.

Our products address indications for the diverse fields of tissue repair, aesthetics and organ manufacturing, and, we believe, are ushering in a new era in regenerative and aesthetic medicine.

Our flagship rhCollagen BioInk product line is ideal for 3D bioprinting of tissues and organs. In October 2018, we entered into a licensing agreement with United Therapeutics, whereby United Therapeutics is using CollPlant's BioInks in the manufacture of 3D bioprinted lungs for transplant in humans.

In January 2020, we also entered into a Joint Development Agreement with 3D Systems Corporation, or 3D Systems, pursuant to which we and 3D Systems jointly develop tissue and scaffold bioprinting processes for third party collaborators. Our industry collaboration also includes the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute, or ARMI.

For more information about CollPlant, visithttp://www.collplant.com

Safe Harbor Statements

This press release may include forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to CollPlant's objectives plans and strategies, as well as statements, other than historical facts, that address activities, events or developments that CollPlant intends, expects, projects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future. These statements are often characterized by terminology such as "believes," "hopes," "may," "anticipates," "should," "intends," "plans," "will," "expects," "estimates," "projects," "positioned," "strategy" and similar expressions and are based on assumptions and assessments made in light of management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors believed to be appropriate. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements.Many factors could cause CollPlant's actual activities or results to differ materially from the activities and results anticipated in forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following: the Company's history of significant losses, its ability to continue as a going concern, and its need to raise additional capital and its inability to obtain additional capital on acceptable terms, or at all; the outbreak of coronavirus; the Company's expectations regarding the timing and cost of commencing clinical trials with respect to tissues and organs which are based on its rhCollagen based BioInk and products for medical aesthetics; the Company's ability to obtain favorable pre-clinical and clinical trial results; regulatory action with respect to rhCollagen based BioInk and medical aesthetics products including but not limited to acceptance of an application for marketing authorization review and approval of such application, and, if approved, the scope of the approved indication and labeling; commercial success and market acceptance of the Company's rhCollagen based products in 3D Bioprinting and medical aesthetics; the Company's ability to establish sales and marketing capabilities or enter into agreements with third parties and its reliance on third party distributors and resellers; the Company's ability to establish and maintain strategic partnerships and other corporate collaborations; the Company's reliance on third parties to conduct some or all aspects of its product manufacturing; the scope of protection the Company is able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights and the Company's ability to operate its business without infringing the intellectual property rights of others; the overall global economic environment; the impact of competition and new technologies; general market, political, and economic conditions in the countries in which the Company operates; projected capital expenditures and liquidity; changes in the Company's strategy; and litigation and regulatory proceedings. More detailed information about the risks and uncertainties affecting CollPlant is contained under the heading "Risk Factors" included in CollPlant's most recent annual report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC, and in other filings that CollPlant has made and may make with the SEC in the future. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and reflect CollPlant's current views with respect to future events, and CollPlant does not undertake and specifically disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact atCollPlant:

Eran RotemDeputy CEO & CFOTel: + 972-73-2325600Email: [emailprotected]

Sophia Ononye-Onyia, PhD MPH MBAFounder & CEO, The Sophia Consulting FirmTel: +1-347-851-8674E-mail: [emailprotected]|

SOURCE CollPlant

Home

Read the rest here:
CollPlant Biotechnologies Signs Distribution Agreement for its Vergenix Flowable Gel Product in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) -...

Read More...

Promoting CRISPR crops at the expense of GMOs is short-sighted when we need both – Genetic Literacy Project

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

With an ever-growing CRISPR genome-editing toolbox, scientists are creating crops that can resist diseases and pests, withstand global warming, and offer better nutrition. The emergence of this technology offers a crucial opportunity for renewed public engagement around crop engineering. In order to actualize the potential of CRISPR-edited food, we must work together to create and share strategies for productive dialogue. This article identifies one area of necessary improvement in communication and public engagement.

Describing how CRISPR-edited crops are arguably more natural than GMOs, or how these crops could potentially use fewer chemicals than their GMO predecessors reinforces pervasive societal suspicions of GMOs. If we think that engineered crops will play a key role in addressing environmental and public health issues, then promoting CRISPR-edited crops at the expense of GMOs is short-sighted. Instead, we must use CRISPR as a new avenue for renewing productive discourse with the public. CRISPR offers a way to bring everyone back to the table, reintroducing voices into vital conversations that will impact us all.

The question, Is this safe? captures this tension between distancing CRISPR from GMOs in order to separate a new technology from its polarized relative, while not discarding GMOs and avoiding difficult conversations. Science communicators can use the question Is this safe? as a case study to further identify problematic practices and offer strategies for communication alternatives. Before answering this question, we must better understand the consumers decision-making process.

The processes behind engineering a CRISPR-edited crop and a GMO share many commonalities and, in some instances, lead to nearly identical outcomes .

In the wake of an incoming wave of CRISPR-edited crops, communicators have an opportunity to renew conversations surrounding what is natural, and in doing so, address concerns about naturalness and safety. For science communicators, do we suggest that CRISPR-edited crops are more natural? Do we explain how brands with a natural label dont always align with what consumers think they are buying? Or do we do we zoom out and try to separate natural from safe, so we dont tacitly buy into notions that GMOs are all unsafe?

Read the original post

View post:
Promoting CRISPR crops at the expense of GMOs is short-sighted when we need both - Genetic Literacy Project

Read More...

The timeless tale of monarch butterfly migration – centraljersey.com

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

By Michele S. Byers

Do you ever read through old newspapers and notice that sometimes the topic and perspective are still pretty current and fresh? So much has changed in the world in recent decades, but our fascination with nature is timeless. Please enjoy the following column written 34 years ago by Dave Moore, the former executive director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, with a few edits to reflect more recent research and understanding:

Ever notice those bright orange and black butterflies that fly purposefully through our yards and sometimes cluster overnight in trees? They are monarch butterflies, and their flight is purposeful: They are migrating south for the winter.

The monarch butterfly migrates all the way to the mountains of central Mexico, often from as far as New Jersey, New England or nearby Canada. This is one of the most amazing migration stories in nature; one in which the route has been partially realized by naturalists for a long time, but fully understood only a decade ago with the discovery of the long-sought wintering place of the monarchs.

Researchers are still adding to the story. For example, it was at first thought that the same butterflies returned to New Jersey a year after their southward migration. Its now realized that its the grandchildren or even the great-great-great-great grandchildren who come back to the northeast.

Science is still a long way from learning how the butterflies have managed to arrive at the same small area of Mexico over millions of years. But they have, and during their migrations they even congregate on certain trees at specific locations, year after year. These way-points in themselves are popular tourist attractions, as is the Mexican destination.

One butterfly tree of which I am aware stands in Island Beach State Park near Barnegat Lighthouse, and is decorated by thousands of monarchs each autumn. When science finally solves the riddle of the monarchs migration, I suppose a little more magic will have gone out of our lives.

But the danger of lost magic is greater for another reason, and not just in terms of monarch migrations. Can you imagine a world without our common songbirds, or minus many of the larger birds that annually make long round trips south and north?

While we protect them up here, their habitats are being bulldozed and burned away in South America as many countries destroy forests to make way for new development.

The monarchs are lucky; Mexico has set aside their wintering place for tourist and scientific reasons. Not so with the birds.

There are so many plants and animals we know nothing about that are becoming extinct before we can really study them. Fewer than a tenth of the plants, insects and animals on earth have been identified. The rate of extinction is speeding up due to peoples blind exploitation of the environment.

We must do much more to protect reserves where plants and animals can survive in the hope of someday revealing exciting secrets for medicines and foods to help us survive. We must also do a better job of regulating our own chemicals so they dont do us and other life forms in.

Bugs and weeds dont attract as much attention as whales and pandas, but they are equally important in the scheme of things.

Monarch butterflies feed only on milkweed, for example. If we lose the milkweed, we lose the butterfly. And by the way, monarchs have the ability to turn milkweed juice into a toxic substance that has taught predators to avoid them. Other butterflies have learned to mimic monarchs to get the same protection.

With all this loss of life-forms, and with our growing interest in genetic engineering, genetic diversity becomes more important, even as its being threatened. That means we must protect natural areas worldwide, protect native plants and animals, and learn more about the effects of our pesticides and other chemicals before its too late.

You have read about possible links between the herbicide Agent Orange and cancer. Agent Orange contains 2,4-D, a common herbicide. Recent studies point toward a connection between 2,4-D and three cancers in humans, including Hodgkins disease.

Given that everything is connected to everything else, we need to proceed carefully. Not only do we not know who lives in the world with us, but we dont even know what the majority of chemical substances we manufacture are doing to them or us.

Back to Michele: Since Daves nature column was written in September 1986, more research has been done on monarch butterfly migration, as well as on the harmful impacts of many chemical herbicides and pesticides, not just Agent Orange.

The annual journey of monarch butterflies still amazes. In Cape May, the New Jersey Audubon Society now monitors monarch butterflies each fall as they congregate on the peninsula in preparation for their flight across the Delaware Bay. If you get a chance this fall, be sure to visit to see migrating birds and butterflies.

Michele S. Byers is the executive director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Far Hills. She may be reached at info@njconservation.org

Link:
The timeless tale of monarch butterfly migration - centraljersey.com

Read More...

Novavax to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences – GlobeNewswire

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Sept. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), a late stage biotechnology company developing next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases, today announced it will participate in five upcoming investor conferences. A topic of discussion will be Novavax COVID-19 vaccine candidate, NVX-CoV2373.

Conference details are as follows:

Citi 15th Annual BioPharma Virtual Conference

H.C. Wainwright 22nd Annual Global Investment Conference

Cantor Virtual Global Healthcare Conference

Morgan Stanley Virtual 18th Annual Global Healthcare Conference

Leerink CyberRx Series: Vaccine Forum

A replay of the presentations will also be accessible under the Investors/Events sectionwww.novavax.com.

About Novavax

Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq:NVAX) is a late-stage biotechnology company that promotes improved health globally through the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative vaccines to prevent serious infectious diseases. Novavax is undergoing clinical trials for NVX-CoV2373, its vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. NanoFlu, its quadrivalent influenza nanoparticle vaccine, met all primary objectives in its pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial in older adults. Both vaccine candidates incorporate Novavax proprietary saponin-based Matrix-M adjuvant in order to enhance the immune response and stimulate high levels of neutralizing antibodies. Novavax is a leading innovator of recombinant vaccines; its proprietary recombinant technology platform combines the power and speed of genetic engineering to efficiently produce highly immunogenic nanoparticles in order to address urgent global health needs.

For more information, visit http://www.novavax.com and connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

InvestorsSilvia Taylor and Erika Trahanir@novavax.com240-268-2022

MediaBrandzone/KOGS CommunicationEdna Kaplankaplan@kogspr.com617-974-8659

See the article here:
Novavax to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences - GlobeNewswire

Read More...

Investor Interest in Meat Alternative Biotechs… – Labiotech.eu

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

In recent times, an unexpectedly large number of investments have closed in biotech startups offering sustainable meat alternatives. Why are investors flocking to this field amid a raging pandemic?

Traditional agriculture is a major polluter, especially in the case of meat production. The highest estimations place its share of global greenhouse gas emissions at up to 20%. In an effort to meet the growing demand for sustainability, many biotech companies are developing less energy-intensive sources of protein via fermentation and plant products.

In spite of the financial chaos resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic this year, big money has gone to biotech startups producing meat alternatives. In the US, the prime example is Impossible Foods, which genetically engineers yeast to give plant-based meat alternatives a realistic meat flavor. Last month, Impossible Foods raised a Series G round of 169M ($200M) to accelerate the commercialization of its technology globally.

In Europe, a similar pattern is emerging. The Finnish startup Solar Foods raised a total of 18.5M in a Series A last week. By late 2022, the company plans to launch a protein food ingredient grown from bacteria using electricity, carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen.

Add to the mix an 8.5M Series A round raised by the German startup Mushlabs, which grows protein-rich mushroom roots via fermentation, and a 19.5M fundraise by Lever VC, a venture firm financing companies developing protein alternatives. Within just a few months, the field has started to blossom.

According to Albrecht Wolfmeyer, International & National Head of the food startup incubator ProVeg, these rounds are just the tip of the iceberg.

Think of precision fermentation and companies like Legendairy in Germany, Remilk in Israel, or Perfect Day in the US, which just raised 254.3M ($300M) in its Series C, Wolfmeyer said. In Europe, the investment rounds are still way smaller but they are growing along with the enthusiasm.

There are several reasons behind this funding surge, said Nick Cooney, founder and Managing Partner of Lever VC. For example, more startups in the field are emerging than ever. And as the first wave of products establish themselves in the market, investors get encouraged to join the party.

In my freezer, I have pints of ice cream from the grocery store that have real whey in them produced via fermentation, without the need for live animals the whey comes from US-based Perfect Day, noted Cooney.

Pasi Vainikka, co-founder and CEO of Solar Foods, likened the situation to the rise of the digital tech sector at the turn of the 21st century. The development of the first mobile devices was basically laying the foundations for a new industrial sector in the global economy, Vainikka explained. I can see the same with food now.

What is most remarkable is that all of this progress comes in spite of the fact that the pandemic threatens economic recessions around the world.

Covid-19 didnt turn out to be as destructive to the food innovation and investment ecosystem as we first thought, said Wolfmeyer. Investors were not as reluctant as expected but mostly rather bullish.

As food companies, they are all deemed essential businesses so never had to pause operations or stop going into the lab, added Cooney.

In fact, dramatic rises were seen in the sales of vegan and plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products during the pandemic, and they remain high. This surge in demand even outweighed increasing sales of traditional meat and dairy products seen during the hamster shopping season in Spring, said Cooney.

While the field in general seemed robust in the face of pandemic uncertainty, Wolfmeyer and Cooney saw some food biotech startups falling through the gaps, especially those that depended on providing food services. The ProVeg Incubator, for example, advised early-stage startups on how to tighten their belts and apply for governmental support.

What has also become clear this year is that startups making meat alternatives could also strengthen protein supplies during the uncertain times of the pandemic.

Weve seen significant disruptions in the conventional meat supply chain, said Caroline Bushnell, Associate Director of Corporate Engagement at the Good Food Institute in a July article by Fast Company. Companies using fermentation- and cell-based production methods could better automate the meat production process and make it more resilient to Covid-19 shutdowns.

Politicians seem to be thinking along similar lines. Theyre opening up new ways to maintain a steady protein supply in the face of future disruption.

Weve also seen in the past six months governments working to move forward with further establishing the regulatory pathway for biotech-based alternative protein products, as a way to diversify the protein supply chain, said Cooney.

The EU has also recently allocated a 550B recovery fund with a focus on green initiatives such as making agriculture more sustainable. These funds could trickle down to biotechs working in the food and cellular agriculture space, though some worry about the lack of precise guidelines on how to spend this funding.

One of the limitations of this growing movement is the strict stance of the European Commission on products containing genetically modified (GM) ingredients. Impossible Foods is currently awaiting an EU decision on whether it will be able to commercialize its products on European soil. Some believe the company might substitute its meat flavoring for a non-GM alternative to speed up the approval.

For many food biotech startups in Europe, though, this anti-GM environment is no hindrance. For example, Solar Foods doesnt require the use of genetically modified organisms, since it uses a natural strain of bacteria found in soil. Similarly, Mushlabs grows mushroom roots in a fermentation system with no need for genetic engineering.

In general, the main obstacles standing in the way of getting lab-grown food into the mainstream are pricing, quality, and public image. Affordable pricing will take time while the startups scale up their technology. Food quality and public image could still have an uphill struggle given the historically mixed reception of fake meat.

Maybe its for companies like ourselves now to prove new products are good enough so that they dont taste like in the past, Vainikka said.

So it must taste good and be equal, or better than, what we have today. Then people will naturally go for it.

Images from Elena Resko and Solar Foods

Read more:
Investor Interest in Meat Alternative Biotechs... - Labiotech.eu

Read More...

Neogene Therapeutics Raises $110 Million Series A Financing to Develop Next-Generation Fully Personalized Neo-Antigen T Cell Receptor (TCR) Therapies…

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

Sept. 14, 2020 12:00 UTC

Series A Financing led by EcoR1 Capital, Jeito Capital and Syncona with continued support of strategic seed investors Vida Ventures, TPG and Two River

Neogenes proprietary technology platform identifies specific T cell receptor (TCR) genes from routine tumor samples using state-of-the-art synthetic biology tools

Co-founded by renowned T cell engineering expert Ton Schumacher, Ph.D. and Carsten Linnemann, Ph.D. with investment from cell therapy industry veteran Arie Belldegrun, M.D. FACS

NEW YORK & AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Neogene Therapeutics, Inc., a pre-clinical stage biotechnology company pioneering a new class of fully personalized neo-antigen T cell therapies to treat cancer, today announced that it has raised $110 million in a Series A financing. The financing was co-led by EcoR1 Capital, Jeito Capital and Syncona, with participation from Polaris Partners and Pontifax. Seed investors Vida Ventures, TPG and Two River also participated in the round.

Neogene, a Two River company, was founded in 2018 by a team of world-class cell therapy experts to advance the development of neo-antigen T cell therapies. Carsten Linnemann, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Neogene, and Ton Schumacher, Ph.D., Principal Investigator at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Oncode Institute and 2020 recipient of the Dutch Research Councils Stevin Award co-founded the Company with individual investments by cell therapy industry veterans Arie Belldegrun, M.D. FACS, founder of Kite Pharma, Inc. and Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Allogene Therapeutics, Inc. and David Chang, M.D., Ph.D., Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Allogene. Dr. Linnemann and Dr. Schumacher previously co-founded T-Cell Factory B.V., a company acquired by Kite Pharma in 2015.

Dr. Schumacher, an internationally leading immunologist in the areas of neo-antigen biology and T cell engineering, developed the seminal concepts of Neogenes proprietary technology. Neogenes platform allows for the isolation of neo-antigen specific TCR genes from tumor biopsies that are routinely obtained from cancer patients during treatment. The tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) obtained by these tumor biopsies frequently express TCRs specific for mutated proteins found in cancer cells (neo-antigens). The Companys proprietary technology uses state-of-the-art DNA sequencing, DNA synthesis and genetic screening tools to identify such neo-antigen specific T cell receptor genes within tumor biopsies with high sensitivity, specificity and at scale. The isolated TCR genes are subsequently engineered into T cells of cancer patients to provide large numbers of potent T cells for therapy.

Neogene is committed to forging a path for new fully personalized engineered T cell therapies in solid cancer that are redirected towards neo-antigens found on cancer cells, said Dr. Linnemann. While engineered T cell therapies have transformed the treatment paradigm for patients with hematologic malignancies, the industry has struggled to translate this success to the enormous unmet need in patients with advanced solid tumors. We believe that through a fully individualized approach using patient-specific TCRs to target neo-antigens, engineered T cell therapy can become broadly accessible to these patients. We are excited that our vision is shared by an outstanding syndicate of marquee investors, who have a deep understanding of and commitment towards the development of novel cell therapies in oncology.

Neo-antigens represent ideal targets for cancer therapy, as they inevitably arise from DNA mutations that enable tumor development in the first place. Further supporting this concept is clear, correlative evidence linking T cell reactivity against neo-antigens with tumor regression in several patients, said Dr. Schumacher. The Neogene platform makes it possible to exploit the neo-antigen reactive TCRs that are present in TIL without a requirement for viable tumor material. In addition, its syn-bio based approach offers major advantages with respect to standardization and scalability and will be critical to achieve our goal of bringing personalized engineered T cell therapies to patients.

In this Series A financing, Neogene expands its distinguished investor base with leading health-care investors from both the U.S. and Europe. For the seed-investors Vida Ventures, TPG and Two River, Neogene marks the second major collaboration in the cell therapy space after the launch of Allogene Therapeutics in 2018. Neogenes seed-financing in 2019 enabled the Company to achieve proof-of-concept for its neo-antigen technology platform and built on the respective expertise of Vida Ventures, Two River and TPG in the gene and cell therapy space.

We believe that Neogenes technology and therapeutic approach has the potential to become a game changer for the treatment of cancer, said Oleg Nodelman, Founder and Managing Director of EcoR1 Capital. We are impressed by the bold vision of the management team and are thrilled to support Neogene as it advances its mission of developing novel therapies for cancer patients in need.

Neogenes approach perfectly aligns with Jeitos mission. Jeito was launched recently to support new and established entrepreneurs aspiring to help patients in need by pioneering novel, ground-breaking medicines underlined by highest quality innovation, said Rafale Tordjman, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Jeito Capital. We are delighted to welcome Neogene as the first investment into our new portfolio.

We are excited to partner with the outstanding Neogene team, said Martin Murphy, Chief Executive Officer of Syncona. Neogenes technology offers a radically innovative approach to utilize the therapeutic potential of TIL cells by employing state-of-the-art TCR engineering and synthetic biology technologies. Facilitated by the Series A, Neogene intends to further develop its technology with growing offices in Amsterdam and the U.S. with the goal to initiate Phase I clinical studies in 2022.

About Neogene Therapeutics

Neogene Therapeutics, Inc. is a pre-clinical stage biotechnology company pioneering development of next-generation, fully personalized engineered T cells therapies for a broad spectrum of cancers. The Companys engineered T cells target mutated proteins found in cancer cells due to cancer-associated DNA mutations, or neo-antigens, that render tumor cells vulnerable to detection by T cells. Neogenes proprietary technology platform aims to identify TCR genes with specificity for neo-antigens from tumor biopsies. Neogenes novel approach intends to deliver a tailored set of TCR genes for each individual patient, which will be engineered into patient-derived T cells directing them towards neo-antigens in tumor cells, with the goal of providing a fully personalized engineered T cell therapy for cancer.

For more information, please visit http://www.neogene.com, and follow Neogene Therapeutics on LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200914005309/en/

Read the original here:
Neogene Therapeutics Raises $110 Million Series A Financing to Develop Next-Generation Fully Personalized Neo-Antigen T Cell Receptor (TCR) Therapies...

Read More...

Could Our Immune System Alter Behavior? – Technology Networks

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis helps illuminate a surprising mind-body connection. In mice, the researchers found that immune cells surrounding the brain produce a molecule that is then absorbed by neurons in the brain, where it appears to be necessary for normal behavior.

The findings, published Sept. 14 inNature Immunology, indicate that elements of the immune system affect both mind and body, and that the immune molecule IL-17 may be a key link between the two.

"The brain and the body are not as separate as people think," said senior author Jonathan Kipnis, PhD, the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Immunology and a professor of neurosurgery, of neurology and of neuroscience. "What we've found here is that an immune molecule -- IL-17 -- is produced by immune cells residing in areas around the brain, and it could affect brain function through interactions with neurons to influence anxiety-like behaviors in mice. We are now looking into whether too much or too little of IL-17 could be linked to anxiety in people."

IL-17 is a cytokine, a signaling molecule that orchestrates the immune response to infection by activating and directing immune cells. IL-17 also has been linked to autism in animal studies and depression in people.

How an immune molecule like IL-17 might influence brain disorders, however, is something of a mystery since there isn't much of an immune system in the brain and the few immune cells that do reside there don't produce IL-17. But Kipnis, along with first author and postdoctoral researcher Kalil Alves de Lima, PhD, realized that the tissues that surround the brain are teeming with immune cells, among them, a small population known as gamma delta T cells that produce IL-17. They set out to determine whether gamma-delta T cells near the brain have an impact on behavior. Kipnis and Alves de Lima conducted the research while at the University of Virginia School of Medicine; both are now at Washington University.

Using mice, they discovered that the meninges are rich in gamma-delta T cells and that such cells, under normal conditions, continually produce IL-17, filling the tissues surrounding the brain with IL-17.

To determine whether gamma-delta T cells or IL-17 affect behavior, Alves de Lima put mice through established tests of memory, social behavior, foraging and anxiety. Mice that lacked gamma-delta T cells or IL-17 were indistinguishable from mice with normal immune systems on all measures but anxiety. In the wild, open fields leave mice exposed to predators such as owls and hawks, so they've evolved a fear of open spaces. The researchers conducted two separate tests that involved giving mice the option of entering exposed areas. While the mice with normal amounts of gamma-delta T cells and levels of IL-17 kept themselves mostly to the more protective edges and enclosed areas during the tests, mice without gamma-delta T cells or IL-17 ventured into the open areas, a lapse of vigilance that the researchers interpreted as decreased anxiety.

Moreover, the scientists discovered that neurons in the brain have receptors on their surfaces that respond to IL-17. When the scientists removed those receptors so that the neurons could not detect the presence of IL-17, the mice showed less vigilance. The researchers say the findings suggest that behavioral changes are not a byproduct but an integral part of neuro-immune communication.

Although the researchers did not expose mice to bacteria or viruses to study the effects of infection directly, they injected the animals with lipopolysaccharide, a bacterial product that elicits a strong immune response. Gamma-delta T cells in the tissues around the mice's brains produced more IL-17 in response to the injection. When the animals were treated with antibiotics, however, the amount of IL-17 was reduced, suggesting gamma-delta T cells could sense the presence of normal bacteria such as those that make up the gut microbiome, as well as invading bacterial species, and respond appropriately to regulate behavior.

The researchers speculate that the link between the immune system and the brain could have evolved as part of a multipronged survival strategy. Increased alertness and vigilance could help rodents survive an infection by discouraging behaviors that increase the risk of further infection or predation while in a weakened state, Alves de Lima said.

"The immune system and the brain have most likely co-evolved," Alves de Lima said. "Selecting special molecules to protect us immunologically and behaviorally at the same time is a smart way to protect against infection. This is a good example of how cytokines, which basically evolved to fight against pathogens, also are acting on the brain and modulating behavior."

The researchers now are studying how gamma-delta T cells in the meninges detect bacterial signals from other parts of the body. They also are investigating how IL-17 signaling in neurons translates into behavioral changes.

Reference:

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

Read more:
Could Our Immune System Alter Behavior? - Technology Networks

Read More...

One Brain Circuit Links Stress, Sleep And The Immune System, Mouse Study Reveals – ScienceAlert

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

Most of us will be familiar with the sort of stress that leads to sleepless nights. In new research on mice, scientists have now identified the brain circuit involved in such experiences; moreover, this part of the brain also seems to be linked to a stress-induced weakening of the immune system.

Immunity, stress, and sleep could all be connected by this same circuit of neurons, researchers say, though so far the connection has only been discovered in mice. If this link is also present in humans, treatments could be developed to target it.

"This sort of stress-induced insomnia is well known among anybody that's tried to get to sleep with a looming deadline or something the next day," says neuroscientist Jeremy Borniger, from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) in New York.

"And in the clinical world, it's been known for a long time that chronically stressed patients typically do worse on a variety of different treatments and across a variety of different diseases."

The stress hormone cortisol is thought to be responsible for disrupting sleep and damaging the body's immune system. The first discovery in this research was a link between a group of cortisol-releasing neurons sensitive to stress, and a group of neurons associated with insomnia.

When the link was blocked by the researchers, mice were able sleep peacefully even after a stressful experience. On the flip side, stimulating the stress-sensitive neurons was enough to bring the animals out of their slumber.

"It seems like it's a pretty sensitive switch, in that even very weak stimulation of the circuit can drive insomnia," says Borniger.

Borniger and his colleagues were then able to establish that stimulating this part of the brain was also producing a biological reaction that looked a lot like the standard immune response to stress.

Messing with this circuit also disrupted the way cortisol is released from the brain, leading to changing levels of immune cells and a breakdown in signalling between them. It looks as though the same group of stress-related neurons drive the consequences for both sleep and immunity.

Systemic inflammation where the body's defences mistakenly go into overdrive when they don't need to is associated with a variety of diseases and health problems, from cancer to inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis. This new discovery might one day give us another way to fight it.

"If we can understand and manipulate the immune system using the natural circuitry in the body rather than using a drug that hits certain targets in the system, I think that would be much more effective in the long run," says Borniger.

The research has been published in Science Advances.

Go here to see the original:
One Brain Circuit Links Stress, Sleep And The Immune System, Mouse Study Reveals - ScienceAlert

Read More...

Review Associates Exercise With Improved Quality of Life, Immune Response in Parkinson Disease – AJMC.com Managed Markets Network

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

Researchers sought to delineate what benefit moderate-intensity exercise could have among the PD population, particularly whether this intervention may assist in protecting against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, through strengthening the immune system. Moreover, they wanted to assess its impact on modifying the immune system and improving health outcomes in PwP.

In first examining how exercise may modify the immune system, researchers note that both cross-sectional and longitudinal data have associated moderate-intensity exercise with fewer upper respiratory tract infections.

A common theme across groups, though, is that an increased level of fitness due to exercise training is associated with lower circulating concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines and higher circulating concentration of anti-inflammatory cytokines, expanded the researchers.

They highlighted that through exercise, an optimal balance may be achieved between pro- and anti-inflammatory benefits, caused by an initial increase in immunosurveillance and an overall reduction in excessive local pro-inflammatory markers.

Next, researchers examined the role of exercise on health outcomes among PwP. In prior animal models, evidence has shown that exercises anti-inflammatory properties can potentially be harnessed in a neuroprotective role, which would then mitigate the neuroinflammation known to occur in the immune systems of those with PwP.

Importantly, mouse models provide mechanistic insight into how exercise promotes change at the molecular, cellular, and neural network levels, they wrote.

In human models, the majority of studies of PwP show that sustained moderate exercise can improve QOL among PwP and is likely to assist in down-regulating neuroinflammation. However, the researchers noted that understanding how exercise promotes neuroplasticity in humans has been difficult, with 2 studies currently underway examining this topic.

Lastly, researchers addressed whether exercise could provide protection against COVID-19. They suggested 4 responses to the immune system that exercise could provide, including balancing pro- and anti-inflammatory benefits in preventing acute inflammatory tissue damage, restoring damaged lung tissue, preventing and reducing reactive oxygen species, and providing a targeted decrease in the main health risk factors of COVID-19.

In managing risk and potential presence of comorbidities associated with adverse COVID-19 outcomes, such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart issues, each of these conditions can be lessened or improved through exercise, the researchers wrote.

Older adults, with or without PD, are more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 viral infection, and moderate exercise may help to improve the immune response to COVID-19 infection, the authors concluded. Moderate-intensity exercise may also help boost the immune system response to the COVID-19 vaccination when it becomes available.

Reference

Hall MFE, Church FC. Exercise for older adults improves the quality of life in Parkinson disease and potentially enhances the immune response to COVID-19. Brain Sci. Published online September 6, 2020. doi:10.3390/brainsci10090612

Read more:
Review Associates Exercise With Improved Quality of Life, Immune Response in Parkinson Disease - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network

Read More...

Will 2 flu shots this year boost immunity? When is the best time to get it? Here’s what health experts say – CNBC

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

Covid-19 has been the biggest health concern of 2020, but another virus the flu isn't going anywhere.

Though you can get the flu during any time of year, flu season in the U.S. happens during the fall and winter months usually reaching its peak between December and March. Getting a flu shot this year may help cut down on the potential effects of a "twindemic," which could happen if a Covid-19 surge and a severe flu season overlap.

With that in mind, you might be wondering if the pandemic changes any of the usual flu vaccine guidelines and if getting a second dose will increase immunity. Below, health experts weigh in:

The short answer is no.

Flu shot recommendations remain the same, and unless you are under nine years old and have never gotten a flu shot before, a second dose is not recommended, saysDr. Kelly Moore, associate director for immunization education at the Immunization Action Coalition.

Children ages six months through eight years who have never been vaccinated against the flu benefit from two doses the first season they get the vaccine, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventionsays.

"If your immune system has never seen influenza before and you're getting the vaccine for the first time, your immune system doesn't quite know what to do with that," Dr. Moore tells CNBC Make It. "It learns, but it doesn't learn quite well enough, and it needs that second dose to really mount a protective response."

However, past the age of eight, just one yearly dose will do.

"When you're older and you've had flu vaccines before, or you've had influenza before, then your immune system responds quite quickly to one dose of vaccine," Dr. Moore explains. "We don't see a noticeable benefit from getting multiple doses of the vaccine.

Other vaccines such as measles, chickenpox and hepatitis require two doses, which can be confusing, Moore adds.

"People may think, 'If one is good, two must be better,' but in reality, that's not how our immune system works," she says. "And while that is the case for certain vaccines and certain viruses, it's not the case for the influenza vaccine."

The flu vaccine works by presenting the immune system with a portion of the virus, allowing the body to develop an immune response so that when it encounters the real thing, it's much better prepared to fight it off.

According to the CDC, it is recommended that everyone over the age of six months gets vaccinated against the flu every year, with very rare exception (such as those with a severe allergy to the flu vaccine or an ingredient in it).

While getting the vaccine does not guarantee that you won't suffer the misery that is the flu, it mayreduce the risk of infection by 40% to 60%, and help prevent severe illness.

Though the exact timing of flu season varies year to year, infections generally start to ramp up around October. The best time to get your flu shot is in the early fall, ideally before the end of October.

"But if you miss that deadline, then get it as soon as you can afterward," Dr. Moore says. "There's no point at which it's too late to get your influenza vaccine."

Until a Covid-19 vaccine is approved, flu vaccinations are among the most effective ways to ensure that hospitals can weather the pandemic, according toDr. Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security.

The flu sends hundreds of thousands of Americans to the hospital and causes tens of thousands of deaths annually. Even during a normal season, hospitals often become inundated with patients, Dr. Adalja says.

"Both the flu and the coronavirus are going to be competing for the same emergency department beds, the same hospital beds, the same ICU beds, the same mechanical ventilators, the same personal protective equipment and even the same diagnostic test [materials]," Dr. Adalja tells CNBC Make It. "The more we can decrease the burden of influenza, the more room we'll have to take care of Covid-19 patients."

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has also insisted that people get the shot, "so that you could at least blunt the effect of oneof those two potential respiratory infections."

If we keep up all the habits we've learned to protect ourselves from Covid-19 like frequently washing our hands, social distancing and wearing masks on top of getting the flu shot, Dr. Moore adds, we can hopefully have a much milder flu season this year.

Serena McNiff is a journalist covering health and science. Her work has appeared on HealthDay, U.S. News and MedicineNet.Follow her on Twitter @SerenaMcNiff.

Don't miss:

Excerpt from:
Will 2 flu shots this year boost immunity? When is the best time to get it? Here's what health experts say - CNBC

Read More...

Antibiotic Molecule Enables HIV Infected Cells To Be Killed by the Immune System – Technology Networks

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

Ever since the first cases of a mysterious disease in the early 1980s exploded into the HIV/AIDS pandemic, researchers have been searching for ways to outsmart the deadly virus. Now thanks to anti-retroviral therapy, people living with HIV can live relatively normal lifespansas long as they take their medications every day.

If they ever stop, in short order the virus rebounds and resets at the high levels seen before starting and that seems to be the case even after decades of therapy, says Mark Painter, Ph.D., a graduate student in the University of Michigan Medical Schools department of microbiology and immunology.

The reason is that HIV can hide inside the human genome, lying dormant and ready to emerge at any time. Because of this, a true cure for HIV relies on waking the latent virus and eliminating it before it has a chance to again take hold of the bodys cells, an approach known as shock and kill.

Working with a team under the direction of Kathleen Collins, M.D., Ph.D., they set out to find a weapon to kill HIV by targeting a protein called Nef. In 1998, Collins, who is a professor of internal medicine and microbiology and immunology, discovered that HIV uses Nef to evade the bodys immune system by overriding the functioning of a protein on a cells surface that lets immune cells know that the cell is infected and in need of elimination. By disabling this protein, called MHC-I, infected cells are able to proliferate.

The research tried determine if there was an FDA-approved drug or molecule already on the market that could override Nef, restore the functioning of MHC-I and allow the bodys own immune system, specifically cells known as cytotoxic T lymphocytes, to recognize the HIV-infected cells and destroy them.

We started out screening a library of 200,000 small molecules and found none inhibited Nef, says Painter. Undeterred, they approached David Sherman, Ph.D. of the U-M Life Sciences Institute, whose lab studies the biosynthesis of natural products from microbes, such as cyanobacteria.

Often synthetic molecules have quite a low molecular weight, meaning they are fairly small. And if you need to disrupt a large protein surface or interface, such as with Nef, a small molecule wont work well or at all, explains Sherman. A natural products library like the one at the LSI, on the other hand, is going to have molecules with a large range of weights and sizes.

After screening approximately 30,000 molecules, they discovered that a class of antibiotic molecules called pleicomacrolides inhibited Nef.

Pleicomacrolides are widely used in lab experiments when you want to shut down the lysosome. Because of this, they are considered toxic and risky to use as drugs, says Painter. The lysosome is an essential cell organelle used to break down worn out cell parts, viruses and bacteria.

However, the team determined that a pleicomacrolide called concanamycin A inhibits Nef at much lower concentrations than those needed to inhibit the lysosome. As a lead compound for drug development, its fairly exciting because we can use a very low dose, and inhibit Nef without short-term toxicity to the cells, said Painter.

In a proof of concept experiment, they treated HIV-infected, Nef expressing cells with concanamycin A and found that cytotoxic T cells were able to clear the infected T cells.

Its been extremely gratifying for this project, which began in my lab over a decade ago to finally come to fruition. I had hoped we would find something that worked as well as this compound does but it was never a guarantee that we would actually be successful. This type of research is risky but extremely important because of the potential reward, says Collins. But, she adds, the molecule is not yet ready to be used as a drug for treatment of HIV infected people. More research will be needed to optimize the compound. We will need to further separate the potent Nef inhibitory activity from the more toxic effect on lysosomal function to make it a viable therapy.

Collins, Painter and their colleagues are continuing work on refining the chemistry of concanamycin A to make it even more viable as a potential therapy. When combined with ART and future treatments that shock latent HIV awake, Painter notes the therapy could be used to clear any remaining virus, essentially curing HIV.

ReferencePainter M et al. Concanamycin A counteracts HIV-1 Nef to enhance immune clearance of infected primary cells by cytotoxic T lymphocytes, PNAS. September 11, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2008615117

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

Link:
Antibiotic Molecule Enables HIV Infected Cells To Be Killed by the Immune System - Technology Networks

Read More...

Immune Systems Are Complex, But Filled With Fun Facts – Longevity LIVE

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

Immune systems are complicated systems that help protect our bodies and shield us from all things harmful. Ever since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic weve managed to get ourselves into quite a spin over our own immunity. Instead of panicking, lets chat about some fun facts about your powerful immune system. Theyre stronger and more resilient than you think.

Think of your immune system as your bodys version of the military. Its designed to defend you against anybody or anything who threatens your chance of survival. Itll never surrender or let you down. Unless you abandon it. This is all because immune systems have millions of strong warriors who can help make this possible.

When you nourish your immune system youll have protection against diseases, infections, viruses and injuries.

Its as simple as sneezing or coughing to spread bacteria and viruses. Even when youre talking to somebody who is sick, it increases your risk of getting their sickness. You can get sick just by touching bacteria-infected surfaces and then touching your face. So it is pertinent to keep up your hygiene discipline, which we should be doing in any case. When you keep yourself clean, you give your immune system a fighting chance. Simply washing your hands for 20-seconds is still one of the best ways to keep yourself healthy and stop the spread of bacteria and viruses.

In fact, the immune system isa complex fighting system powered by five liters of blood and lymph. According to Healthline, Lymph is a clear and colorless liquid that passes through the tissues of the body. Experts explain that these two fluids transport all the elements of the immune system so they can do their jobs.

Literally, were made up of millions of tiny white knights. These are our white blood cells.

Theyre just like brave knights heading out into battle every time something tries to plunder their kingdom. They need to protect their king or queen, you. Immune systems have two different types of white blood cells: phagocytes and lymphocytes.

Lets have a mini biology lesson.

Then, every pathogen carries a specific type of antigen. Moreover, each lymphocyte in your body carries antibodies meant to fight the antigens carried by pathogens. There are three main types of lymphocytes in the body: B cells, T cells, and natural killer cells.

Your B cells are your fighters. They are the antibodies which attack bacteria, viruses, and toxins that enter the body. All immune systems have T cells which kill cells in the body that have been overtaken by viruses or that have become cancerous. Just like T cells, natural killer cells kill infected or cancerous cells. However, instead of producing antibodies, they make a special enzyme, or chemical, that kills the cells.

Basically, immune systems create new antibodies whenever theyre infected with a new antigen. If the same antigen infects you a second time, immune systems can quickly make copies of the corresponding antibody to destroy it. However, these warriors only live up to a few weeks, so its a good thing theres a lot of them. In fact, a single drop of blood can contain up to 25,000 white blood cells. Amazing, right?

Dont be. Its a very healthy sign that youve got a fever or are experiencing some sort of inflammation.

Sure, it is very unpleasant and feels horrific. But its a sure sign that your immune system is doing its work hard. The reason you contract fever is due to the release of white blood cells. This then increases your metabolism and stops certain organisms from multiplying.

Inflammation happens when each damaged cell releases histamines. Histamines cause the cell walls to dilate. This creates redness, heat, pain, and swelling of inflammation. As a result, your body limits the effects of the irritant.

There are a variety of reasons why its integral to get in your beauty sleep. They call it that for a reason, so dont start skimping on it guys and girls. If youre running around like a mad horse, and now youre starting to feel off. Then you might get sick. And no, thats not as surprising as you might think.

This is when immune systems are taking action. Its your bodys defence mechanism, working hard and taking revenge against your relentless on-the-go mentality. Slow down. Sleep, my child.

Especially if you have been clocking all-nighters or getting less than five hours of sleep per night. Not only will your happiness deplete, but immune systems get depressed too. So, youre basically opening up the door to all kinds of colds, flus, and infections.

Theres tons of research proving that our immune systems thrive when theyre exposed to more sunlight and vitamin D. Interestingly, there are even new light therapies available because of the power of light. Getting regular sunlight is great because it shows how your body naturally produces vitamin D. This vitamin helps protect you from a variety of harmful illnesses like depression, heart disease, and certain cancers. Its even good for people with autoimmune disorders.

Dermatologists recommend that everyone should wear sunscreen with broad-spectrum UVA, UVB protection, and Sun Protection Factor (SPF) 30 or higher. Generally, its also best to avoid the sun between 10 am and 14,00 because thats when its the hottest. When the sun is very strong, you should also wear protective clothing, such as:

Immune systems dont function at their finest when youre completely stressed out. In fact, you will only damage yours. It can only handle so much, even though it can tackle most problems. Constant stress releases cortisol, adrenaline, and other stress hormones from the adrenal gland. Combined they help your body cope with stress. Normally, cortisol is helpful because it decreases the inflammation in the body that results from the immune responses caused by stress.

However, if youre chronically stressed, stress hormones can affect the way our immune systems function over time. This increases your risk of health problems, including:

Its important to find healthy ways to deal with your stress. This will decrease your risk of long-term stress and its related health problems. Some good ways to reduce stress include:

This might sound cliche but theres honestly so much truth in the remark. Every time you laugh, your brain releases dopamine and other feel-good chemicals which can all help decrease stress.

Experts say that just twenty minutes of laughter a day may not keep the doctor away, but it may help keep your immune system working properly.

It does seem counterintuitive. But you cant be overly hygienic because your gut needs lots of bacteria to be healthy. Some bacteria can help you digest your food. In fact, most people think that every kind of dirt, germ or bacteria outside your body is bad. This just isnt the truth. Our immune systems need those germs to stay healthy.

Immune systems can adapt, which is why human beings have been around for so long. Once your body comes in contact with a foreign substance, it attacks it and remembers it. If it comes back, your body knows what to do.

Dont be afraid of allergies. Seasonal allergies or hay fever are perfectly normal. Even if you feel like cursing every molecule of pollen or dust in the air. These microscopic particles cause the release of histamines, which create some of the nasty symptoms of allergies. This just proves how strong our immune systems are!

We dont all experience allergies, but theyre often caused when your body mistakes something harmless, as a threat. Usually, this happens with pollen or a type of food. Your body launches an immune response against it, causing you to experience allergic symptoms.

Unfortunately, this can happen. Certain people have immune systems that start to attack healthy tissue in the body, which causes disease. This is called autoimmunity.

Most people have immune systems that get used to their own tissue before they are born. They do this by turning off the cells that would attack them. Autoimmune disorders occur when the body mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. This is what occurs in people with autoimmune diseases such as:

These diseases are treated with drugs that suppress the immune system.

The bottom line: Work hard to protect your immune system and it will do the same for you.

Fruits and vegetables are easy to get our hands on nowadays. Even when its not the right time of year for certain ones to grow, there are still stores that will have what youre looking for. Here is why.

Fun Facts About the Immune System. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/cold-flu/fun-facts#1

The Secrets to Never Getting Sick. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/cold-flu/cold-flu-secrets#1

The Importance of Washing your Hands. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/17474-hand-washing

How to Prepare for the Coronavirus. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/article/prepare-for-coronavirus.html

Healthy Habits to Help Prevent Flu. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/actions-prevent-flu.htm

Read the original here:
Immune Systems Are Complex, But Filled With Fun Facts - Longevity LIVE

Read More...

The Neural Circuit That Fuses Stress, Insomnia, and the Immune System – Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

Too much stress can keep you up at night. A pressing deadline, watching the news, anxietysometimes you can find yourself tossing and turning, even though you are so tired from stress. Many research studies have linked stress to sleep issues, and insomnia. And now scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have pinpointed the neural circuit responsible for sleepless nights due to stress. Their findings also revealed that the same circuit induced changes in the immune system.

The mouse study, Hypothalamic circuitry underlying stress-induced insomnia and peripheral immunosuppression, is published in the journal Science Advances. The studys corresponding authors are Luis de Lecea, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, and Shi-Bin Li, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow in de Leceas lab.

The neural substrates of insomnia/hyperarousal induced by stress remain unknown. Here, we show that restraint stress leads to hyperarousal associated with strong activation of corticotropin-releasing hormone neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus and hypocretin neurons in the lateral hypothalamus, noted the researchers.

This sort of stress-induced insomnia is well known among anybody thats tried to get to sleep with a looming deadline or something the next day, explained Jeremy Borniger, PhD, a co-author of the study who was a former postdoc in de Leceas lab and is now an assistant professor at CSHL. And in the clinical world, its been known for a long time that chronically stressed patients typically do worse on a variety of different treatments and across a variety of different diseases.

The scientists discovered a connection between neurons sensitive to stress in the brain that motivated cortisols release and nearby neurons that promote insomnia. The researchers found that signals from the hormone-releasing brain cells have a strong effect on the insomnia-inducing neurons.

The researchers interfered with the connection, which enabled mice to sleep peacefully even after being exposed to a stressful situation. It seems like its a pretty sensitive switch, in that even very weak stimulation of the circuit can drive insomnia, Borniger added.

To their surprise, they also discovered the immune system went under extensive changes to cell distribution by the connection. The amount of immune cells in the blood, as well as signaling pathways inside, were disrupted. The researchers were able to mimic the changes simply by stimulating the same neurons that link stress to insomnia.

Single-cell mass cytometry by time of flight (CyTOF) revealed extensive changes to immune cell distribution and functional responses in peripheral blood during hyperarousal upon optogenetic stimulation of CRHPVN neurons simulating stress-induced insomnia, observed the authors.

Looking towards the future, Borniger is interested in discovering how distinct circuits in the brain can be manipulated that are associated with systemic inflammation such as inflammatory bowel disease or cancer. if we can understand and manipulate the immune system using the natural circuitry in the body rather than using a drug that hits certain targets within the system, I think that would be much more effective in the long run, because it just co-opts the natural circuits in the body, Borniger concluded.

Their work highlights a new potential target for the treatment of insomnia and stress-induced changes in systemic physiology.

Original post:
The Neural Circuit That Fuses Stress, Insomnia, and the Immune System - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

Read More...

Coronavirus prevention: Vitamin C, vitamin D and other key nutrients to keep your immune system healthy – Times Now

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

Coronavirus prevention: Vitamin C, vitamin D and other key nutrients to keep your immune system healthy  |  Photo Credit: iStock Images

New Delhi: As the threat of the novel coronavirus infection continues to spread worldwide, having an optimally functioning immune system is more important than ever. In fact, some experts advise that taking supplements containing vitamin C and vitamin D may help boost immunity to fight COVID-19 and other respiratory infections. The good news is, following a healthful, balanced diet consisting of a variety of foods loaded with nutrients and antioxidants can help strengthen your immunity.

The food you eat can have an impact on your thoughts, action, behaviour, mood, temper and well-being. Similarly, it also impacts immensely on the immune system. The immune system acts as a first line of defense towards the invasion by micro-organisms and foreign bodies. Eating a well-balanced diet loaded with essential macro and micronutrients is very important to build strong immunity. But, did you know the role diet plays in keeping your immune system healthy?

The role of nutritional support for immune function can be traced back to 1800 BC when studies proved that malnourishment leads to poor immune outcome. For instance, proteins, as we know are considered to be the building blocks of life. They also make up hormones, enzymes, neurotransmitters, immune cells and antibodies. Similarly, the carbohydrates serve as a quick fuel and lipids acts as a reserved energy. Also, micronutrients like vitamins, minerals and water are equally important. Focusing on nutrition, regular physical activity, stress management and getting enough sleep or rest can contribute to a stronger immune system.

Additionally, dietary interventionhas promisingly proven that it can improve gut health, which influences the balance of your immune system. Studies using animal models with gut inflammation have shown significant improvement in terms of reducing the gut inflammation using probiotics or certain fermented foods. Good hut health can help improve your immunity. The community of microbes that lives in the GI tract is collectively called as gut microbiota. Any harm done to this community will have a direct impact on health posing a serious risk of developing chronic illness.

Some micronutrients and dietary components like vitamins C, D, amino acids and certain minerals such as zinc, selenium play a specific role in maintaining an effective immune system, said Divya R, senior executive nutritionist, Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Jayanagar, Bangalore. Here are some key nutrients that can help boost your immunity and protect you from infections, including COVID-19:

Protein: Plays a vital role in bodys healing, repair and recovery mechanism. Also, antibodies and immune cells rely on proteins. Eating a variety of protein foods, including seafood, lean meat, poultry, eggs, beans and peas, soy products and unsalted nuts and seeds, milk and dairy products will help in maintaining optimal health.

Vitamins: A vitamin is a substance that makes you ill if you dont eat it. Among them vitamins A, B, C, D and E are considered to be playing a major role in boosting immunity. They act as effective antioxidants, antimicrobial agents, reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines and promote healthy gut microbiota. They also stimulate antibody formation and supports cellular function.

Sources of vitamins

Minerals: Zinc, selenium, iron, magnesium, copper etc, are very important for optimal immune system function. Sources include Whole grains, dal and pulses, seeds, millets, green leafy vegetables, poultry, eggs, fishes etc.

Probiotics: Probiotics are specific strains of live bacteria present in certain foods. They can help boost the immune system and inhibit the growth of harmful gut bacteria. Some probiotics have been shown to promote the production of natural antibodies in the body. Sources include fermented milk, yogurt, kefir and other fermented food products.

Prebiotics: Prebiotics stimulates the immune system by directly or indirectly increasing the population of probiotics in the gut. Sources are banana, barley, flax seeds, apple, garlic etc.

Water: Staying well hydrated is very important to ward off infections and also to eliminate toxins and harmful bacteria that may cause infections. Plain water is the best fluid. Other forms of fluids can be coconut water, lime water, buttermilk, soups, infused water, etc.

Always rely on these medicinal value of herbs and spices from your kitchen garden as a cure-all remedy. Herbs like tulsi, methi, ashwagandha, aloe vera, and spices like pepper, cloves, turmeric etc, are all antifungal, antibacterial agents loaded with antibiotic and antioxidant properties.

Supplementing regularly with these essential food constituents will help in lowering the risk of being infected as they help in boosting up the immunity against a wide range of disease-causing microbes.

Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purpose only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a dietician before starting any fitness programme or making any changes to your diet.

See more here:
Coronavirus prevention: Vitamin C, vitamin D and other key nutrients to keep your immune system healthy - Times Now

Read More...

The immune response to COVID-19 vaccines – Cosmos

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

By Paul Gill and Menno van Zelm, Monash University

The Oxford vaccine trial at the centre of safety concerns this week highlights the idea that peoples immune systems respond to vaccines differently.

We dont yet know whether reports of immune complications in one or two trial participants have been linked to the COVID-19 vaccine itself, or if they were given the placebo vaccine.

But it does highlight the importance of phase 3 clinical trials in many thousands of people, across continents. These not only tell us whether a vaccine is safe, but also whether it works for people of different ages or with particular health issues.

So what are some of the immune factors that determine whether any of the 180 or so COVID-19 vaccine candidates being developed around the world actually work?

An effective vaccine should generate long-lasting protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

This can be by generating antibodies to neutralise the virus and likely also by helping the immune system memorise and quickly respond to infection.

How vaccines work with your immune system to protect against disease.

We know, from developing vaccines against other viruses, that peoples immune response to a vaccine can vary. Theres every reason to believe this will also be the case for a COVID-19 vaccine.

Many COVID-19 vaccine candidates contain parts of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to stimulate protective immunity. However, there are many different ways of delivering these proteins to the body, and some may be more effective than others at stimulating your immune system.

For example, the Oxford vaccine combines the spike protein with another virus to mimic the actions of SARS-CoV-2.

Meanwhile, the candidate developed by the University of Queensland contains the spike protein packaged with another compound (an adjuvant) to stimulate the immune system.

Some people will likely need a follow-up booster shot to ensure longer-lasting immunity.

We may also see some vaccines delivered as a nasal spray. This may elicit a more effective immune response to COVID-19 in the upper respiratory tract, including the nostrils, mouth and throat.

Previous infections may prime our immune system to respond differently to vaccination.

For instance, the SARS-CoV-2 virus belongs to a large family of human coronaviruses, four of which are responsible for common colds.

Being exposed to these cold-causing coronaviruses, and developing immune memory cells against them, may mean a stronger or quicker response to a COVID-19 vaccine.

Some people have poor protective immune responses to COVID-19 vaccine candidates. These people may have existing immunity to the adenovirus used in some vaccines to deliver the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

In other words, their body mounts an immune response to the wrong part of the vaccine (the delivery mechanism) and not so much to the characteristic part of the virus (the spike protein).

Our genes play a large part in regulating our immune system.

Researchers have already seen sex differences, which are partly governed by genes, in the immune response to the flu vaccine. They have also seen sex differences in the immune response to COVID-19.

So larger clinical trials should help us understand whether men and women respond differently to a COVID-19 vaccine.

People with inherited immune deficiencies may also be unable to generate protective immunity in response to vaccination.

The composition of our immune system changes throughout the course of our lives, and this affects our ability to mount a protective immune response.

Infants and childrens immune systems are still developing. So their immune response may be different to adults.

Some COVID-19 vaccines may be more effective for children, or recommended for them, as we see already with the flu vaccine.

As we get older, changes in our immune system mean we cannot efficiently maintain long-lasting protective immunity; we are less able to make new antibodies in response to infection.

We already know older people are less likely to mount a protective immune response with the flu vaccine.

So we need the data from large trials to verify whether COVID-19 vaccines work in children and elderly people.

Diet, exercise, stress and whether we smoke influence our immune response to vaccination. So we can look after our immune system with a healthy lifestyle where possible.

There is also an emerging hypothesis that our gut microbes may influence our immune response to vaccination. But more research is needed to confirm this could occur during COVID-19 vaccination.

Paul Gill, Post-doctoral Researcher (Gastroenterology and Immunology), Monash University and Menno van Zelm, Associate Professor, Immunology, Monash University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

See the original post:
The immune response to COVID-19 vaccines - Cosmos

Read More...

When will there be a COVID-19 cure? Your body is still the best virus-killer – Crain’s Cleveland Business

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

A global push is on to develop a vaccine to slow the spread of COVID-19, and experts hope several will be ready in 2021. Yet even with one, the coronavirus is likely to remain with us for years, demanding long efforts to find a cure for those who still fall sick.

In humanity's millennia-long struggle against viruses, prevention with vaccines has been far more successful than treatment with drugs. In fact, modern medicine has come up with a true cure for only one viral infection. For many serious infections, the best approaches are a cocktail of drugs that throw speed bumps in front of the infection.

It's a lackluster medical armory, belied by the seeming simplicity of our viral foes.

"They can't live by themselves, they aren't independent, they can't process food, take in oxygen, reproduce themselves without the master support system of being the parasite inside a living cell," said Paula Cannon, a professor at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine.

So why do viruses give humans so much trouble? Outside of the body, a vigorous hand-washing is enough to kill many. Inside, the immune system's long memory is enough to make short work of most.

It's when we run into a new virus that the problems start.

The coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, is the latest in a procession of new infectious diseases that have surprised the world in recent years. The best hope against it is a vaccine, which can stop infections before they take hold.

A vaccine is, essentially, a shortcut to immunity. But if we don't have immunity and get sick, things get more complicated. Because viruses can't survive on their own, they hijack our cells to multiply. That parasitic dependence makes them hard to treat with most traditional drugs. A virus is so interwoven with its host that it's difficult to hurt one without hurting the other. SARS-CoV-2 infects the airways and lungs the very things we need to breathe.

That leaves an unappealing choice, according to Cannon. "I can kill the virus, but I would have to kill you to do it."

Some vaccines, such as for measles, have created enough herd immunity that the virus can no longer take hold and spread in the population. In the best case, as with smallpox, the shots have driven the disease out of the human host population and into extinction.

Treating an active infection is another matter. There's a pharmaceutical cure for only one virus: hepatitis C. Because of the "kill the virus, kill the host" problem, the best bet is often to slow the virus down enough that the body's own defenses can do their job.

"When we can't kill a virus, the best thing we can do is stop them from replicating," said Raed Dweik, chair of the Cleveland Clinic's Respiratory Institute. "All we can do is shorten the period of infection, not cure. Even when the infection is over, the patient is more recovered than cured."

Remdesivir, the only drug in wide use that targets SARS-CoV-2 itself, works by messing with the virus's ability to replicate. It causes errors when the virus tries to copy itself. It was also a product of luck: The drug was originally developed as a treatment for Ebola, but it wasn't terribly effective and the waning outbreak in Africa made it difficult for its manufacturer, Gilead Sciences Inc., to study.

Clinical trials have shown that remdesivir can help hospitalized COVID-19 patients recover more quickly. But it's not a cure, and it's unlikely there will be one anytime soon.

"It will take years to have potent and specific drugs that can stop coronavirus in its tracks," Cannon said. "The vast majority of drug candidates fail."

In the future, patients will likely get a cocktail of therapies that attack the virus and others that help keep them stable. Currently, remdesivir is part of a cocoon of care that includes the only other cleared therapy, the steroid dexamethasone, as well as standard fare like fluids, plus aggressive approaches when needed, including putting patients on ventilators. Other medicines are layered on top: blood thinners and experimental approaches to calm a potentially overactive immune system.

As new approaches reach the market, they'll be added to the mix. But for most people, any viral treatment will have to outperform an already formidable and existing approach: the human immune system.

Continued here:
When will there be a COVID-19 cure? Your body is still the best virus-killer - Crain's Cleveland Business

Read More...

The immune system’s response to Covid-19 may be altered by obesity – Health24

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

The severity of Covid-19 is generally mediated by the human body's immune response. Everyone's immunity is different which is why reactions to the virus are so varied and there are various genetic, environmental and chronic disease factors that can influence this response.

One such factor is obesity. Those who have a BMI of more than 40 are 2.6 times more likely to die from a coronavirus infection.

A new study published byEndocrine Society investigates how this condition exacerbates inflammation in the body, which, in turn, puts strain on the immune system.

Early studies of the virus took place in China, and there was no focus on obesity because it is so rare in that country. But that changed when the virus hit the US, a country with one of the highest rates of obesity in the world.

South Africa also has a high rate of obesity, making it important to understand the interaction between Covid-19 and obesity.

READ | Don't wait to lose weight: Shedding obesity in youth extends life

How does obesity affect the immune system?

Metabolic inflammation, or meta-inflammation, is a chronic type of inflammation caused by obesity due to increased tissue and circulating myeloid cells. These cells develop an immunosuppressive environment and have been linked to the promotion of tumour growth.

This meta-inflammation might be part of the reason why obese patients are so susceptible to severe Covid-19.

"While obesity and diabetes may complicate the delivery of supportive care in critical illness, regardless of the underlying disease, lessons learned from the interaction of obesity with other systemic inflammatory syndromes suggest that obesity modifies biologic factors related to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the Covid-19 syndrome," explain the researchers.

They add that obesity also has the potential to do long-term reprogramming of the immune system through this chronic inflammation.

This isn't restricted to Covid-19; the syndrome can also make a patient more prone to other diseases like bird flu and bacterial infections. With global obesity rates expected to rise in the future, understanding endocrine, metabolic, and inflammatory shifts caused by obesity would be vital for future pathological treatments.

READ MORE | Scientists warn that lockdowns could increase levels of obesity around the world

Cytokine storms and macrophages

In severe cases of Covid-19, the coronavirus infection induces a cytokine storm that floods the immune system. It also does this by shifting monocyte populations in the body a type of white blood cell that can influence adaptive immunity and helps drive the infection throughout the body.

With meta-inflammation, cytokine levels are always at higher levels than normal, including chemokines. Throw Covid-19 into the mix, and you're left with a much more virulent attack on the body.

Another element increased by obesity and Covid-19 are macrophages.

"Macrophages from obese animals and humans have been described as metabolically active, M1 polarised, and pro-inflammatory with both regulatory and detrimental activity. These macrophages produce cytokines, chemokines, reactive oxygen species, and factors regulating fibrosis and metabolism."

A high fat diet morphs obesity myeloid cells into metabolically active macrophages, which in turn, has an impact on organs and hematopoiesis, the process through which the body produces blood cells.

Enhancinghematopoiesis, in turn, impairs the immune response to, for example, a viral infection. The increased cytokine production can also cause tissue damage when the storm is triggered.

READ | Canada moves away from weight to classify obesity

Respiratory system

Obese people also tend to have high blood sugar, called hyperglycemia, which can concentrate glucose in the lungs and the rest of the respiratory system. This helps colonisation and replication of bacteria, and also damages the intestinal barrier that protects us against infection.

"On top of the direct effects that obesity may have on macrophage function in infection, diaphragm excursion is also inhibited due to obesity, which restricts ventilation and can inhibit the clearance of pulmonary pathogens."

This also prevents the body from effectively identifying and killing off any bad bacteria, maintaining the infection for longer. For similar reasons, an obese person is then just as susceptible to a viral infection.

"Along with possible impairments in pathogen clearance, obese hosts are more likely to experience the breakdown of respiratory epithelium during a pulmonary infection, which leads to increased fluid in the airway space.

"This allows the pathogen to have the opportunity to more easily spread throughout the body and leaves the host with reduced lung function."

READ MORE |Obesity ups odds for severe Covid-19, but age matters

Other factors

ACE2 receptors one of the main entry points into cells for the coronavirus are also more prevalent in the fat cells of obese and diabetic patients. This might become a reservoir for SARS-CoV-2 replication that increases Covid-19 severity.

The gut is also another factor to consider, as studies have proven the influence that its microbiota have on health and the immune system. Covid-19 tends to make changes in the gut that encourage more inflammation, but more in-depth research is needed.

It's important to note, however, that not all obese people suffer from meta-inflammation or necessarily develop other chronic conditions, like heart disease or diabetes. But if you're male, you're far more likely than obese pre-menopausal women to develop these conditions, which also helps explain men's susceptibility to severe Covid-19.

Vaccine efficacy

Being obese might also impact the effectiveness of a potential coronavirus vaccine.

Flu shots tend to not work as well for them, probably due to impaired T-cell function.

According to the researchers, this makes it vital that obese individuals are included in the vaccine trials to ensure efficacy in this high-risk group.

READ | Why can Covid-19 be so dangerous where patients are obese?

Image credit: Pixabay

See the original post:
The immune system's response to Covid-19 may be altered by obesity - Health24

Read More...

A doctor’s Rx: How to boost our immune system during the pandemic, Part 2 – The Guam Daily Post

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part letter.

So, we know that many people are getting near sleepless nights, not eating well and not exercising at all during the pandemic. Long-term stress and poor sleep can both result in dysregulation of the immune system in such a way that the production of good immune cells is suppressed and the amount of bad immune cells are upregulated. A cascade of events can create the setting of low-grade inflammation throughout the body and result in a decrease in the proper functioning of immunoprotective cells. This makes a person not only more susceptible to various infections, it also increases the risk of cancers, and chronic cardiovascular diseases (high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus and heart diseases). We label a patient in this state as being immunocompromised or immunosuppressed. Maintaining an adequate amount of sleep is truly fundamental to keeping our immune system in a balanced equilibrium. The National Sleep Foundation has published recommendations for adequate sleep duration for all ages in order to maintain well-being. School-age children (6-13 years) need 9-11 hours, teenagers (14-17 years) need 8-10 hours, adults (18-64 years) need 7-9 hours, and adults over 65 need 7-8 hours.

Sleep experts also recommend that we stick to a regular sleep schedule, go to bed and get up at roughly the same time every day. We should not go to bed hungry or stuffed. Avoid consuming nicotine and caffeine due to their stimulating effects, especially in the evening. Even though alcohol makes us sleepy, it disrupts sleep later in the night and is to be avoided after dinner hours. We need to create a restful environment best is a cool, dark, quiet place. Avoid prolonged use of light-emitting screens before bedtime. We all benefit if our eyes and brains rest for 30 minutes before sleep with no TV, computer or cellphones. Regular daytime physical activity promotes better sleep.

Eating a well-balanced diet can modulate and improve our immune responses. There is science that indicate that some foods boost the immune system more than others. These include citrus foods (grapefruits, oranges, tangerines, lemons, calamansi, limes), red bell peppers, broccoli, garlic, ginger, spinach, yogurt, almonds, sunflower seeds, turmeric, green tea, papaya, kiwi, shellfish, oily fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel) and poultry (chicken and turkey). They contain vitamins C, A, B6, E and D, minerals (like zinc and selenium), iron, folic acid and probiotics. My overall advice is that variety is the key to proper nutrition. Eating right will help build a strong immune system.

There is an abundance of science supporting a compelling link between physical activity and the bodys defense system. Regular physical exercise has an overall anti-inflammatory influence through multiple pathways. Epidemiologic studies consistently show decreased levels of inflammatory biomarkers in adults with higher levels of physical activity. Physical exercise also helps us control our weight, reduce our risk of heart attack, help our body manage blood sugar and insulin levels, improve our mental health and mood, help keep our thinking, learning, and judgement skills sharp as we age, strengthen our bones and muscles, reduce our risk of some cancers and falls, improve our sleep and increase our chance of living longer

The latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data revealed that 94% of people who died with COVID-19 had other chronic health issues, which probably increased their risk of contracting the virus. I recommend that everyone, especially people with underlying chronic medical conditions, better their health and immune status to help fight an infection successfully.

It remains an enigma to many health experts as to why many people (at least 80%) infected with COVID-19 are asymptomatic or just have mild symptoms, while others succumb from the same infection. This conundrum can probably be answered by how our immune system defends us with a positive impact or hurts us with negative contributions to the bodys ability to fight this novel and perplexing virus. With the COVID-19 pandemic, its particularly important to understand that we need to supplement the 3 W's of protection: wear a mask, watch your distance, wash your hands. We need more than protection. Prevention needs to become widely adopted in our community.

Dr. Ramel Carlos is a board-certified neurologist practicing in Guam for 18 years and a specialist in epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology. He is also a pediatrician, a diplomate of the American Board of Disability Analysts and the editor-in-chief of The Guam Medical Association Journal.

Originally posted here:
A doctor's Rx: How to boost our immune system during the pandemic, Part 2 - The Guam Daily Post

Read More...

Allergic reactions as protection against bacterial infections – Innovation Origins

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

Sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, or even shortness of breath. According to estimates by the rzteverband Deutscher Allergologen (DA, German Medical Allergy Association), around 20 to 30 million people in Germany suffer from allergies such as hay fever, a drug allergy, or a food allergy. And this trend is on the rise. Thes types of allergic reactions are usually due to the release of histamine, proteases, or cytokines from cells of the innate immune system.

These so-called mast cells are activated by IgE antibodies. These make up the components of a specific immune response. If these antibodies are sensitive to certain allergens, they in turn activate the mast cells with each new contact. These then release histamines, proteases, or various cytokines. That person subsequently develops typical allergic symptoms. Up until now, however, the evolutionary background of this well-rehearsed system has remained unclear. Or why this system has survived throughout the course of evolution.

In a joint study by the CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (AW), the Medical University of Vienna, and the Stanford University School of Medicine, researchers have come one step closer to finding the answer to this question. They have discovered that IgE antibodies, together with mast cells, are able to increase the bodys resistance to bacterial infections

The assumption has been around for a long time that the interaction of IgE with mast cells is not just negative for the body where allergies are concerned. Previous studies had already shown that mast cells play a role in the innate immune response to the venom of certain snakes and the honeybee. Building on these studies, scientists have now examined the importance of the interaction of mast cells and IgE antibodies in the defense against toxic organisms. Especially when dealing with pathogenic bacteria. They have published the results of the study in the scientific journal Immunity.

Because of its enormous clinical relevance and its broad range of toxins, the researchers chose the antibiotic-resistant bacterium Staphylococcus aureus as the pathogen model. This is considered one of the most feared hospital germs. As part of their research, they infected genetically modified mice with the pathogen. They also studied in vitro mast cell models in order to decode the functions of selected components of the IgE effector mechanisms.

It was found that the mice that had experienced mild skin infections with S. aureus developed specific IgE antibodies against bacterial components. This immune response made the mice more resistant to severe secondary lung or skin and tissue infections. Genetically-modified mice lacking the IgE effector mechanism, or mast cells, did not build up the resistance that is needed to fight severe secondary infections.

The authors write that these findings would suggest that the interaction of the IgE effector mechanism with mast cells, (which is often only recognized today within allergic contexts), might not only be pathological but also beneficial. The defense against toxin-producing pathogenic bacteria could therefore be an important biological function of the allergy module. Moreover, this function seen from an evolutionary perspective might be the reason why this immunological interaction has persisted throughout the course of human evolution. And this happens, despite the fact that it can even cause life-threatening reactions in those cases where there is a particular sensitivity towards other foreign substances.

Publication:

IgE Effector Mechanisms, in Concert with Mast Cells, Contribute to Acquired Host Defense against Staphylococcus aureus. Authors: Philipp Starkl, Martin L. Watzenboeck, Lauren M. Popov, Sophie Zahalka, Anastasiya Hladik, Karin Lakovits, Mariem Radhouani, Arvand Haschemi, Thomas Marichal, Laurent L. Reber, Nicolas Gaudenzio, Riccardo Sibilano, Lukas Stulik, Frdric Fontaine, Andr C. Mueller, Manuel R. Amieva, Stephen J. Galli, Sylvia Knapp, Immunity, 2020 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2020.08.002

Title picture: Not only allergies but also positive health benefits can result when antibodies and cells work together. CeMM/AW

Read this article:
Allergic reactions as protection against bacterial infections - Innovation Origins

Read More...

Coronavirus: How to boost immune system and ‘lower risk of virus’ as cases soar in UK – Express

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced from Monday the number of people allowed to gather will be slashed from 30 down to six in a new clampdownto lower infection rates. Under the current rules, no more than 30 people can meet inside with up to one other household, but the new rules stipulate that six people from different households will be allowed to congregate. Yesterday, 3,497 new cases were announced and researchers at Imperial College London have said infection rates are doubling roughly every 7.7 days in England, with the reproduction rate as high as 1.7.

But scientists have also been studying the effects of diet, exercise, psychological stress and other factors on the immune response to COVID-19, next months issue of BBC Science Focus Magazine reveals.

Public Health England recently released a report on how being obese or excessively overweight increases the risk of illness and death from COVID-19 and theres some evidence of a link between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 severity.

But having high blood pressure, heart disease, or smoking, can reportedly increase the likelihood that youll be hospitalised from COVID-19.

Theimmune systemis a complex network of cells and proteins that defends the body against infection, and a healthy one can be key to defeating invading pathogens.

Dr Madhvi Menon, a research fellow at Manchester Universitys Institution of Immunology and infection, told BBC Science Focus: Maintaining a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise, a balanced diet, adequate sleep and minimal stress has been shown to keep our immune systems strong and healthy.

But very little is currently known about ways to avoid the severest form of COVID-19.

A healthy immune system will not necessarily keep the virus out of our bodies, but it could be vital against the fight.

According to health experts, 80 percent of the bodys immune system is in the gut.

The Mediterranean diet, with its emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fatty fish, nuts, and olive oil has been tipped by experts.

READ MORE:Coronavirus: Chilling psychological impact of mask-wearing laid bare

The diet provides large amounts of vitamins, including vitamins A, B2, B6 and B12, C, D, and E.

It also provides zinc, iron, selenium, and other plant-derived minerals and antioxidants.

Recent studies suggest that older adults on a Mediterranean-style diet who also took a vitamin D supplement had higher levels of T cells whichplay a central role in the immune response.

But it is also important to be sceptical of products that claim to magically boost the immune system or fight off the virus.

During the Spanish flu in 1918 which killed up to 50 million people a number of bizarre methods were tipped to improve the bodys defence from the virus.

DONT MISSUK to launch own satellite with Space Commandto combat Russia threat [REVEALED]Coronavirus: Psychological impact of mask-wearing [EXPOSED]Boris Johnson's plan to slash your energy bill by 750 [REVEALED]

And the recent outbreak has been no different.

Social media has been filled with bizarre claims from eating garlic to drinking silver to help protect against COVID-

US President Donald Trump has also fuelled controversy by promoting the drug hydroxychloroquine, claiming he was taking it daily.

The drugwas granted emergency use authorisation by the FDA in March after Trump backed it as a game-changer in the pandemic.

Shortly after, the President said: What do you have to lose? Take it.

In April, the FDA issued a warning about the risk of cardiac arrhythmias in some patients, reiterating that it should only be used in selected cases where there is a serious medical need.

The best way to prevent getting the virus in the first place is to adhere to the guidance on social distancing, wearing masks and hand-washing.

The Government website explains: The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are recent onset of a new continuous cough, high temperature or a loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell.

Wash your hands more often than usual, for 20 seconds using soap and water or hand sanitiser, particularly after coughing, sneezing and blowing your nose, before you eat or handle food, or when you get to work or arrive home.

Cover your mouth and nose with disposable tissues when you cough or sneeze.

If you do not have a tissue, sneeze into the crook of your elbow, not into your hand.

Dispose of tissues into a disposable rubbish bag and immediately wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser.

It also explains the importance of wearing a face mask, unless you are exempt and social distancing.

It adds: You must wear a face-covering by law in some public places unless you have a face-covering exemption because of your age, health or another condition.

Social distancing, hand washing and covering coughs and sneezes, remain the most important measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Clean and disinfect regularly touched objects and surfaces using your regular cleaning products to reduce the risk of passing the infection on to other people.

You can subscribe to BBC Science Focus Magazine here.

Go here to see the original:
Coronavirus: How to boost immune system and 'lower risk of virus' as cases soar in UK - Express

Read More...

Page 28«..1020..27282930..40..»


2025 © StemCell Therapy is proudly powered by WordPress
Entries (RSS) Comments (RSS) | Violinesth by Patrick