Immune Responses tagged posts

Chemical structure of small molecule PM-43I. Credit: Courtesy of D. Corry

Small molecule PM-43I prevented and reversed preexisting allergic airway disease in mice and cleared through the kidneys with no long-term toxicity. Asthma is one of the most common and difficult to endure chronic conditions. About 30 million Americans experience asthma attacks and 3 million have a severe, therapy-resistant form of the disease. In some cases, the condition can be fatal.

“Despite the prevalence of asthma around the world, therapy for this condition has not significantly changed, with a few exceptions, in the last 70 to 80 years,” said Dr. David Corry, professor of medicine-immunology, allergy and rheumatology at Baylor College of Medicine...

The immune system protein SARM1 (red) extends to the string-like fibers (axons) of nerve cells in the brains of mice infected with La Crosse virus. Scientists are examining how SARM1 interacts with mitochondria in the axons to induce death of the nerve cells. Credit: NIAID

Many brain disorders involve the death of neurons, or nerve cells, but how these neurons die is not well understood. A new study describes how the activation of normally protective immune responses causes nerve cells to die and identifies the protein responsible, providing a potential target for therapeutic intervention.

Researchers from NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) studied the effect of immune system proteins: toll-like receptors on neurons...