This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American The very first line of defence against any ...

Innate immunity constitutes the body’s first line of defence against invading pathogens. This ancient, evolutionarily conserved system is activated within minutes of encountering foreign agents, ...

In a recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers reviewed selected acute-phase proteins concerning their production, structure, and function. The advent of severe acute ...

A new generation of cancer therapies has emerged over the past few decades, including checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies that modify or directly use T-cells to ...

Dianthus Therapeutics Inc. has, appropriately, flowered in springtime. The Waltham, Mass.-based company emerged from stealth with $100 million in series A funding and lofty ambitions to rewrite the ...

Among people with sickle cell disease—an inherited blood disorder—acute chest syndrome (ACS) is the leading cause of death. The condition is the result of red blood cells becoming stiff, sticky, and ...

Most people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus recover after the acute illness. However, a significant proportion of infected individuals develop long-lasting symptoms with a wide range of ...

Researchers have discovered that SARS-CoV-2 hijacks three important host proteins that dampen the activity of the complement system, a key component of early antiviral immunity. This significantly ...