An international team of researchers has identified a direct molecular link between meat and dairy diets and the development of antibodies in the blood that increase the chances of developing cancer. This connection may explain the high incidence of cancer among those who consume large amounts of dairy products and…
Antibodies protect against wide range of influenza B virus strains
Researchers have identified two antibodies that protect mice against lethal infections of influenza B virus, report scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Together with an antibody that targets the other major kind of influenza viruses that infect people—influenza…
For an effective COVID vaccine, look beyond antibodies to T-cells
More than 100 companies have rushed into vaccine development against COVID-19 as the U.S. government pushes for a vaccine rollout at “warp speed”—possibly by the end of the year—but the bar set for an effective, long-lasting vaccine is far too low and may prove dangerous, according to Marc Hellerstein of…
COVID-19 antibodies can decline over time, research suggests
Antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 can peak three weeks post onset of symptoms but begin to decline after as little as 2-3 months, according to research by King’s. The study, led by Dr. Katie Doores from the School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences and published recently on Medrxiv, examined the antibody…
Improving research with more effective antibodies
A new study points to the need for better antibody validation, and outlines a process that other labs can use to make sure the antibodies they work with function properly. Antibodies are used in laboratories and clinics to study proteins, which are the biomolecules that translate information from an organism’s…
Researchers find protein marker for the effectiveness of malaria antibodies
The quantity and quality of antibodies that recognize the end region of the malaria parasite’s CSP protein is a good marker of protection by the RTS,S/AS01E vaccine, according to a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and institutional collaborators. The study, published in Nature Communications, provides…
Guinea pigs cured of Ebola with antibodies, raising hopes for treatment in humans
The Ebola virus outbreak of 2014 in West Africa caused more than 11,000 deaths. At the time, scientists were working on several experimental vaccines and treatments but none were licensed for use in humans. Antibodies, which are special defence proteins made by our body in response to infection or vaccination,…