Immunity

APOE4 alters brain immunity and cognition differently in females and males

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A new study shows that APOE4 reshapes brain-linked immune and lymphatic pathways in strikingly different ways in females and males, with opposite cognitive effects when innate immunity is suppressed. Study: Sex-specific APOE4-dependent innate immunity regulates meningeal lymphatics, brain lipids, neuroinflammation, and cognition. Image Credit: ahmetmapush / Shutterstock In a recent study published in the journal Neuron, … Read more

Why are older adults far more at risk from COVID or flu?

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Published on 28/03/2026 – 8:00 GMT+1 Researchers may have found out why older adults are much more likely to be seriously impacted by COVID or the flu. This is mainly due to ageing lung cells, which can trigger excessive immune responses, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco … Read more

Aging lung cells drive severe inflammation in flu and COVID

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Older adults are much more likely to become seriously ill from flu or COVID because aging lung cells can drive excessive immune responses, according to a new study led by researchers at UC San Francisco.  The findings enhance the understanding of the inflammation that accompanies aging, explaining how an otherwise minor cough can sometimes send … Read more

Study explores racial differences in gastric cancer immunotherapy outcomes

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Advanced gastric cancer remains one of the deadliest malignancies, with a 5-year overall survival rate below 10%. In recent years, combining chemotherapy with PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitors has become standard first-line care for previously untreated HER2-negative disease. Yet major global trials and subgroup analyses have pointed to a recurring pattern: Asian patients often experience stronger … Read more

Breakthrough research reshapes understanding of T cell immune responses

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In a paradigm breaking study, Dr. Pavan Reddy, director of the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and his team, in collaboration with Drs. Arul Chinnaiyan, S P Hicks Endowed Professor of Pathology, and Marcin Cieslik, assistant professor of pathology, both from University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, discovered … Read more

‘Trained immunity’ discovery gives hope to patients vulnerable to infection

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New potential treatment method could help provide a solution to threat posed by rising anti-microbial resistance A method of training the immune system to fight drug-resistant infections could be a more effective way to help people who are vulnerable to infection, Irish researchers have found. Scientists at the Translational Medicine Institute at Trinity College Dublin … Read more

Study revises the understanding of neutrophil dynamics during respiratory viral infection

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Neutrophil infiltration is a hallmark of pulmonary inflammation during respiratory viral infections, yet the origin of these cells has been a subject of debate. Using a golden hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the study led by Professor Xuetao Cao’s team at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences unveiled a dynamic spleen-to-lung neutrophil axis that operates … Read more

Protein MIIP suppresses colorectal cancer by regulating immune cell signaling

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Colorectal cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide, largely due to metastasis and limited responses to immunotherapy in most patients. Although immune checkpoint inhibitors have transformed treatment for certain tumor subtypes, the majority of colorectal cancers remain “immune-cold,” meaning they fail to trigger effective anti-tumor immunity. Increasing evidence suggests that tumor-associated … Read more

Targeting two influenza proteins may reduce viral transmission

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A long-running debate in vaccine design revolves around whether a vaccine should be optimized to prevent the virus from replicating inside an infected host or prevent the virus from transmitting to others. New research led by Penn State scientists suggests there may not have to be a tradeoff. The study in animal models, published today … Read more

New insights highlight multifaceted roles of CD4+ T cells in tumor immunity

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For decades, cancer immunotherapy has focused primarily on CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes as the main executors of tumor cell killing. However, growing clinical and single-cell sequencing evidence shows that CD4+ T cells are far more than immune “helpers.” Within tumors, CD4+ T cell subsets exhibit remarkable heterogeneity, ranging from cytotoxic CD4+ CTLs to immunosuppressive regulatory … Read more