The Immune System

Researchers have found that, in older age, immune cells called killer T cells are replaced by less effective versions that struggle to fight viral invaders. The world-first discovery may lead to improved therapies tailored to different age groups.

Around 1.6 million Americans live with inflammatory bowel disease, dealing with persistent and debilitating relapses. Scientists have identified how a specialized subset of T cells falter in flare-ups, and they may hold they key to long-term recovery.

Even moderate exposure to nicotine-free vapor from e-cigarettes can literally stop the body's frontline immune cells in their tracks, reducing their ability to fight off foreign invaders, a new study has found.

Chitin, which provides crucial exoskeletal structure and protection to soft-bodied arthropods such as crustaceans, spiders and insects, may have a surprising role in switching up human metabolism in the gut, helping to fight weight gain and obesity.

Researchers have discovered that lung-based immune cells can be "trained" to remember a previously encountered pathogen, making them more efficient at clearing out the cellular debris that accumulates during infection and reducing inflammation.

Multiple sclerosis sufferers can experience long periods of remission, but increasingly damaged nerves make relapses more frequent and severe. Scientists now believe, with a little molecular encouragement, those damaged nerves can heal themselves.

For many, the idea of having a few dozen hookworms set up shop in your gut sounds more like a Survivor challenge than a beneficial health therapy, but scientists see a bright future in the human worm farm's ability to protect against chronic disease.

Some more bad news for gluten. While we’ve been aware of how gluten can impact the digestive tract, New Zealand scientists have now identified for the first time that it can also cause brain inflammation, likely triggered by an immune response.

Scientists have discovered an unknown type of immune cell in people who've successfully beat cancer. These home in on multiple targets at once, preventing new tumors forming for up to a year later and could lead to more effective cancer therapies.

New research has discovered that a fundamental nutrient found in cells is key to maintaining the body’s cancer-destroying immune response. The discovery may lead to more effective ways of treating the disease.

High-grade serous ovarian cancer is an aggressive, hard-to-treat type of ovarian cancer. A new study has identified the genes involved in forming a particular type of tissue which, if growing in tumors, is associated with a better prognosis.

A new study has shed light on how gut bacteria, diet, and the immune system interact and how some people remain asymptomatic while infectious. It may have opened the door to a vaccine that prevents diarrheal diseases caused by E. coli.