Archive for infectious diseases
Building better antibodies, curbing autoimmunity: New insights on B cells
When we’re vaccinated or exposed to an infection, our B cells spring into action, churning out antibodies that are increasingly potent, specific, and protective. This happens through an iterative process known as affinity maturation. Two labs at Boston Children’s Hospital have come up with different ways to enhance affinity maturation and help B cells make ... Read More about Building better antibodies, curbing autoimmunity: New insights on B cells
Could SIDS be caused by unrecognized brain infections?
Some infants who pass away from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) are known to have had acute minor infections. Could these have played a role in their death? Using next-generation molecular tools, a new study provides evidence that undiagnosed inflammation and occult infection can contribute to SIDS and the brainstem pathology seen in some infants. ... Read More about Could SIDS be caused by unrecognized brain infections?
Could a GI bug’s toxin curb hard-to-treat breast cancer?
Clostridium difficile can cause devastating inflammatory gastrointestinal infections, with much of the damage inflicted by a toxin the bug produces. But research from Boston Children’s Hospital suggests that the same toxin could also be a useful tool for curbing highly aggressive triple-negative breast cancers that don’t respond to chemotherapy. Min Dong, PhD, in the Department ... Read More about Could a GI bug’s toxin curb hard-to-treat breast cancer?
A new approach to C. diff? Targeting the inflammation, not the bacteria
Clostridium difficile (C. diff) intestinal infections can cause severe, debilitating diarrhea in patients who are hospitalized or on immunosuppressive therapies. The infections can be very hard to eradicate, roaring back when patients try to taper their antibiotics. Many people wind up on antibiotics for months and can become resistant to three or more of them. ... Read More about A new approach to C. diff? Targeting the inflammation, not the bacteria
Nanobodies from alpacas could steer immune attacks on influenza
While conventional flu vaccines are designed to anticipate the influenza strains projected to dominate in the next flu season, they’re only partially effective. And while antiviral drugs are available to treat active flu cases, the body quickly clears them, requiring high, frequent doses. Coupling one existing flu drug with a special ingredient from alpacas, the ... Read More about Nanobodies from alpacas could steer immune attacks on influenza
Zika study reveals how infection can cause microcephaly
Prenatal exposure to viruses capable of infecting the fetal brain, particularly in the first trimester, can cause a range of developmental defects in the baby. The Zika epidemic in Brazil during 2015-2016 posed an extreme case, causing hundreds of babies to be born with microcephaly, or an abnormally small head. Although cases have waned significantly, ... Read More about Zika study reveals how infection can cause microcephaly
Immune biomarkers predicted COVID-19 severity and could help in future pandemics
Why did some people fall critically ill from COVID-19 and others not? In May 2020, as COVID-19 swept the world, Boston Children’s Hospital helped launch a national, NIAID-funded study called IMPACC (IMmunoPhenotyping Assessment in a COVID-19 Cohort). Taking a “systems immunology” approach, the goal was to document the virus’s impact on the immune system in ... Read More about Immune biomarkers predicted COVID-19 severity and could help in future pandemics
Advancing mother-child health globally: Grace Chan MD, MPH, PhD
First in an ongoing series profiling researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital. Globally, five million children die annually before the age of 5. Forty percent of these deaths are in the first month — and many are preventable. Grace Chan, MD, MPH, PhD, finds these numbers unacceptable. They contrast starkly with U.S. medicine, including at Boston ... Read More about Advancing mother-child health globally: Grace Chan MD, MPH, PhD
What every family should know about RSV
To help keep your family safe and informed about respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), we spoke to Dr. Kathleen Conroy, Clinical Chief for Children’s Hospital Primary Care Center (CHPCC). What is RSV and what are the symptoms? RSV is a virus that causes upper and lower respiratory tract infections, most commonly in children and infants; however, ... Read More about What every family should know about RSV
Tim Springer: Scientist, entrepreneur, and mentor
As an undergraduate in 1966, immunologist, biochemist, and biophysicist Timothy A. Springer, PhD, looked askance at science. The Vietnam War was going on, and he saw science as a means of making Agent Orange and napalm. Questioning his own Ivy League education, he left Yale to spend a year as a VISTA volunteer on a ... Read More about Tim Springer: Scientist, entrepreneur, and mentor