When people recover from infection with a virus, the immune system retains a memory of it. Immune cells and proteins that circulate in the body can recognize and kill the pathogen if it’s encountered again, protecting against disease and reducing illness severity. This long-term immune protection involves several components. Antibodies—proteins that circulate in the blood—recognize… Continue reading What Happens after COVID-19?
Tag: antibodies
A New Therapy for COVID-19?
Animals produce antibodies much like those made by the human immune system. But some animals, such as llamas, also produce another type of antibody that’s only about a quarter of the size of a typical human antibody. Such “single-domain” antibodies, or nanobodies, have several features that make them possible therapies for respiratory infections such as… Continue reading A New Therapy for COVID-19?
Immune-System Cells May Help Fight Alzheimer’s
Immune cells that help fight bacterial and viral infections may play a far greater role in Alzheimer’s disease than originally thought, according to University of California, Irvine neurobiologists The researchers discovered this when Alzheimer’s disease mice genetically modified to lack these key immune cells in their blood developed the distinctive brain plaques associated with the… Continue reading Immune-System Cells May Help Fight Alzheimer’s
Your Health History in A Drop of Blood
Thanks to new technology, scientists can use a single drop of human blood to test for current and past viral infections. The method, called VirScan, was developed by researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It is an efficient alternative to existing tests for specific viruses one at a time.… Continue reading Your Health History in A Drop of Blood
The Test Every Baby Boomer Should Take
It’s important to know what health tests and screenings you should take. Most of us are aware for the need for timely mammograms and colonoscopies, but there’s another test that every Baby Boomer should consider taking – the test for hepatitis C. Here, the experts from the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) tell you… Continue reading The Test Every Baby Boomer Should Take
Nanobodies: A Smaller Weapon in Fighting Disease
A new system developed by researchers at Rockefeller University promises to make nanobodies, proteins that flag diseased cells for destruction, more accessible for various kinds of research. Nanobodies are “cousins” to antibodies and can perform similar tasks such as marking molecules for research or discovering diseased cells. They are much simpler to produce than antibodies,… Continue reading Nanobodies: A Smaller Weapon in Fighting Disease