Category: 5. Health

Antigens are a critical part of how the immune system works; they are present on many types of cells, and can be made of proteins, lipids, sugars, and other substances. Antigens are presented to immune cells,…

High blood pressure is strongly correlated to cancer. This risk factor, among others including smoking, obesity, and inactivity, cause deleterious effects to the body. Interestingly, high blood pressure and…

Immunity is orchestrated by two responses referred to as the innate and adaptive immune systems. Each system works to minimize and clear infections. The innate immune response is a broad-targeting defense…

Certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) are closely linked to invasive cervical cancer.  Vaccines that protect against these cancer-causing HPV types have been shown to greatly lower the risk of…

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infections are very common–the vast majority of adults are thought to have been infected at some point. But there has also been mounting evidence that EBV is connected to the…

It’s long been thought that an organ known as the thymus is crucial to development of the immune system. Early in life, it ensures diversity among immune cells called T cells that fight pathogens and…

Cancer dysregulates the immune response to evade cell death and progress throughout the body. As tumors become established, they uptake nutrients and generate a low-oxygen environment, which limits nutrients…

Drugs and different treatments approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a specific disease can be repurposed for other pathologies. The application of applying FDA-approved drugs to other…

When vaccines are designed, scientists have aimed to prevent the virus from spreading to others, or stop it from producing more flu particles in an infected person. But now researchers think a vaccine could do…

The immune system has two separate responses, which are orchestrated to optimize protection against pathogens. The first response is known as innate immunity. This first wave of protection provides broad…