Archive for immunology
Antibodies in the gut: Roles in autoimmune disease, food allergy… and COVID-19?
From our tonsils through our intestines, the lining of our gastrointestinal tract forms a border between our body and the outer world. More than a static tissue, it is an active tissue constantly bombarded by exposure to foods, viruses, and bacteria. It houses more than 40 trillion of its own bacteria, known as the microbiome. ... Read More
Disulfiram inhibits inflammatory gatekeeper protein: Could it be helpful in COVID-19?
Inflammation is the alarm system by which cells first respond to potential danger. But in excess, inflammation can be deadly. In new research from the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine (PCCM) at Boston Children’s Hospital, scientists discovered that disulfiram, an FDA-approved drug commonly used for treating alcoholism, blocks a key gatekeeper protein involved in ... Read More
Making an IMPACC: Examining immune responses in people hospitalized with COVID-19
We know that the consequences of COVID-19 disease start by infection from a virus. But how does the body react to that viral invasion? To answer that question, Boston Children’s Hospital will play key roles in a nationwide study designed to learn how the immune systems of people hospitalized with COVID-19 respond to the disease ... Read More
Boston Children’s Hospital to lead nationwide study on COVID-19 in children
Why are children largely spared from COVID-19 — and why do a tiny handful become extremely sick? To find out, Boston Children’s Hospital has launched a national study to perform real-time surveillance at more than 35 U.S. children’s hospitals. Called Overcoming COVID-19, the study has $2.1 million in funding from the Centers for Disease ... Read More
Looking for clues to improve the life of a transplanted organ
The Transplant Research Program (TxRP) at Boston Children’s Hospital is the only pediatric transplantation research program in the U.S committed to better understanding the molecular basis for organ rejection after transplantation in children. Within the last year, members of the TxRP have initiated a new initiative to extend the longevity of transplanted organs and to ... Read More
Protecting against HIV by tricking the immune system
In making an HIV vaccine, a major goal is to stimulate production of broadly neutralizing antibodies that can fight multiple strains of the frequently changing virus. To date, experimental HIV vaccines haven’t been able to induce these kinds of antibodies. In fact, the immune system actively stops their production, seeing them as a threat. Another ... Read More
A big step toward curbing graft-vs.-host disease after bone marrow transplant
A drug used for rheumatoid arthritis has moved a step closer to FDA approval for a desperately needed new use. The drug, abatacept, has gained FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for preventing acute, severe graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in patients receiving bone marrow transplants. That could help fast-track the drug to the clinic. “If we are lucky ... Read More
Boosting host immune defenses to treat tuberculosis
Current treatment regimens for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis, are long, complex, and hard for people to sustain. Moreover, the bacteria often develop drug resistance, and many people harbor multi-drug-resistant strains. In 2018 alone, nearly 1.5 million people died from tuberculosis worldwide. Now, a study in iScience suggests a new approach that ... Read More
Unlocking antibody diversity: chromatin loops, V(D)J recombination, and class switching
A new study from the laboratory of Frederick Alt, PhD, of the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine (PCMM) at Boston Children’s Hospital reveals yet another way in which chromatin regulation — changing the configuration of our DNA and its packaging — enables our immune systems to produce its wide-ranging arsenal of antibodies. In September in the ... Read More
Targeting a rogue T cell prevents and reverses multiple sclerosis in mice
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease affecting both adults and children. It’s driven by “helper” T cells, white blood cells that mount an inflammatory attack on the brain and spinal cord, degrading the protective myelin sheath that covers nerve fibers. But there are many different kinds of T helper cells, and up until now, no ... Read More