Category Biology/Biotechnology

The mammalian immune system is an evolutionary wonder. It’s capable of recognizing and destroying cancer cells, and it can deploy armies of antibodies against viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi.

Among the lesser-spotlighted roles of the immune system is how a particular T cell helps maintain homeostasis—fostering a balanced and stable metabolic environment—in fat cells. It’s a role that has captured the investigatory eye of an elite team of immunologists.

Having a stronger understanding of the dynamic metabolic activities and signaling pathways in fat tissue can aid new strategies to treat obesity, a major global health concern...

Researchers at the University of Cologne and University Hospital Cologne have determined that the novel mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines not only induce acquired immune responses such as antibody production, but also cause persistent epigenetic changes in innate immune cells.

The study, “Persistent epigenetic memory of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination in monocyte-derived macrophages,” led by Professor Dr. Jan Rybniker, who heads the Division of Infectious Diseases at University Hospital Cologne and is a principal investigator at the Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), and Dr...

Researchers from the University of Colorado Cancer Center have solved a cellular mystery that may lead to better therapies for colorectal and other types of cancer.

Peter Dempsey, Ph.D., professor of pediatrics–developmental biology in the CU School of Medicine, and Justin Brumbaugh, Ph.D., assistant professor of molecular, cellular, and developmental biology at CU Boulder, recently published a paper in the journal Nature Cell Biology showing the importance of the H3K36 methylation process in regulating plasticity and regeneration in intestinal cells.

“The intestine has an enormous ability to regenerate itself after injury, an...