immune response Archives
Rational vaccine design
Sep. 22, 2020—Understanding immunity generated by smallpox vaccine may hold lessons for COVID-19 vaccine development.
Probing innate immunity
May. 19, 2020—Manuel Ascano team validates an inhibitor of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway, which is important for cellular innate immunity against bacteria, viruses, and our own damaged DNA.
Intestinal immune cell interactions
Jul. 30, 2019—Understanding the roles of various immune cells that reside in the gut lining could shed light on inflammatory bowel diseases.
Frog fungus fights back
May. 9, 2019—Louise Rollins-Smith and colleagues are exploring how a deadly fungus counters the amphibian immune response and contributes to declining worldwide amphibian populations.
Low oxygen and antibody responses
Apr. 25, 2019—Mark Boothby and colleagues are exploring the factors that contribute to antibody production and quality, which are key to our defense against pathogens and response to vaccines.
How bugs overcome host defenses
Apr. 11, 2019—Vanderbilt researchers led by Eric Skaar are probing the mechanisms bacteria use when faced with nutrient starvation — a host defense strategy called “nutritional immunity.”
Researchers push forward frontiers of vaccine science
Feb. 13, 2019—Using sophisticated gene sequencing and computing techniques, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the San Diego Supercomputer Center have achieved a first-of-its-kind glimpse into how the body’s immune system gears up to fight off infection.
Breast cancer-killing RIG
Dec. 13, 2018—A compound that activates a virus-sensing receptor has potent therapeutic effects in a mouse model of breast cancer.
RNA processing and antiviral immunity
Dec. 13, 2018—John Karijolich and colleagues have discovered a link between cellular RNA processing and the innate cellular immune response to viral pathogens.
Asthma’s androgen connection
Oct. 12, 2018—New findings may explain why the prevalence of asthma is higher in women and suggest that testosterone derivatives may be useful for treating more severe types of asthma.
Stretch, inflammation and hypertension
Sep. 27, 2018—New research sheds light on how changes in blood vessel forces enhance immune cell activation and promote hypertension.
Team explores diabetes drug’s ability to treat RSV infection
Jul. 12, 2018—A drug used to treat diabetes may point to new therapies for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis — inflammation and obstruction of the lungs’ small airways. A multi-disciplinary team of Vanderbilt investigators has demonstrated that liraglutide reduces the inflammatory response to RSV infection in a mouse model of the disease.
