Poison Frogs, Birds, Hold Clues to Antidotes for Deadly Toxins
A team of researchers at have uncovered some intriguing clues in the mystery of how some poison birds and frogs evade their own toxins.
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Immune System May Need ‘Continuing Education’ to Protect Pregnancy
Working in mice, UCSF researchers have found that a recently discovered subset of cells in the immune system may prevent the mother’s immune system from attacking the placenta and fetus.
No Sign of COVID-19 Vaccine in Breast Milk
Messenger RNA vaccines against COVID-19 were not detected in human milk, according to a small study by UCSF, providing early evidence that the vaccine mRNA is not transferred to the infant.
Beyond CAR-T: New Frontiers in Living Cell Therapies
Taking a page from computer engineers, biologists are trying their hands at programming cells – by building DNA circuits to guide their protein-making machinery and behavior.
Microbiome Medicine: Scientists Harness the Body’s ‘Bugs’ to Treat Asthma, MS and More
Plenty of probiotic yogurts, pickles and kombuchas claim to boost our digestive health with armies of microbes, but some scientists have more ambitious therapeutic plans for the “bugs” that colonize us. They hope to leverage these microbes as living therapeutics for a range of health conditions, including ulcerative colitis, multiple sclerosis, eczema and asthma.
Next-Generation T-Cell Therapeutics Set Sights on Cancers, Autoimmune Disorders and More
T cells – immune cells that patrol our bodies in search of trouble – have become a central focus for UC San Francisco scientists working on living cell therapies, an approach that views cells
Mutation in Highly Infectious Alpha Variant May Help Coronavirus Evade Immune System
The B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant—also known as Alpha—may be more infectious because it contains mutations that make it better adapted to foil the innate immune system, at least for long enough to allow the virus to replicate and potentially find new hosts, according to a new study.
Older Women Who Are Socially Engaged More Likely to Be Emotionally Abused or Mistreated
For older adults, participating in social activities can protect against physical and mental signs of aging, but it may also pose risks, especially for women. A new analysis of national data led by
TED Talk: “Can We Create Vaccines that Mutate and Spread?”
The viruses that cause polio and COVID-19 mutate, but treatments for the diseases don’t. For over 20 years, UCSF and Gladstone Institutes scientist Leor Weinberger, PhD, has been thinking of ways to make vaccines work more efficiently by being adaptive, rather than static.
The Case of the Recurring Fever
An elderly man had symptoms no one could explain – until Amy Berger, MD, PhD, and her team investigated.
Your Immune System Could Turn COVID-19 Deadly
Hidden autoimmunity may explain how the coronavirus wreaks such widespread and unpredictable harm.
Space Travel Weakens Our Immune Systems – Now Scientists May Know Why
Scientists now have shown that the weakening of an astronaut’s immune system during space travel is likely due in part to abnormal activation of immune cells called T regulator cells.
Sophie Dumont Delivers 2021 Byers Award Lecture: ‘Who Conducts the Symphony of Cell Division?’
Sophie Dumont, winner of the 2021 Byers Award for Basic Science, focuses on finding out how, as well whether therapeutic targets exist to ensure equal – and healthy – division of chromosomes.
Spread of Breast Cancer Linked to Newly Discovered RNA Splicing Mechanism
What kills most people who die from cancer is not the initial tumor. It’s the intolerable disease burden on the body that arises when tumor cells continually expand their numbers after spreading to different organs.
