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Allergy and immunology news

The liver's immune cells might be the key to curing hepatitis B

Fifteen years ago, doctors in Europe noticed a remarkable thing happening in people with chronic hepatitis B infections. When patients went off their medications, the virus started to come back—and then some of the patients ...

Friendly skin bacteria shut down inflammatory driver of eczema

Friendly skin bacteria could hold the key to stopping eczema in its tracks, according to a breakthrough by a team of UK and Japanese scientists. Their new study reveals harmless microbes living on our skin release powerful ...

Immune system overreaction linked to deadly flu in pregnancy

In most people, influenza stays in the upper respiratory tract—mainly the nose—and clears without spreading further. But during pregnancy, the virus can extend beyond the lungs into the cardiovascular system, increasing the ...

Lab-designed molecule offers hope for celiac disease sufferers

A research project led by the Institute for Research in Nutrition and Food Safety (INSA) and the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences at the University of Barcelona, together with the Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona ...

Turning up the volume on macrophage-driven immune responses

As part of the body's first line of defense against foreign invaders, macrophages play an integral role in the innate immune system. However, the ability of macrophages to interpret and respond to diverse danger signals remains ...

Unleashing natural killer cells against cancer

Scientists have developed a strategy to boost the cancer-fighting power of natural killer (NK) cells, part of the immune system's first line of defense. NK cells can detect and destroy cancer cells, but tumors often create ...

How immune cell networks drive liver disease

A type of rare T cell triggers a cascade of signals amplifying inflammation and ultimately leading to liver fibrosis, according to a new study from Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg published in Nature Communications. ...