Latest news with #CellReportsMedicine
Saba Yemen
3 days ago
- Health
- Saba Yemen
Study: Reveals How Viral Infection Turns Your Joints into Source of Chronic Pain
Washington - (Saba): A recent scientific study has revealed that the mysterious mechanism by which the chikungunya virus causes chronic joint pain closely resembles autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Although most cases resolve spontaneously within one to two weeks, approximately 30-40% of patients may suffer from chronic joint pain that lasts for months or even years, with some potentially developing rheumatoid-like arthritis. Chikungunya virus is the virus that causes chikungunya disease (CHIKV), an acute infection transmitted to humans through the bites of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, the two species responsible for transmitting dengue fever. The disease is characterized by the sudden onset of symptoms, including a high fever and severe joint pain, particularly in the extremities, accompanied by a rash, muscle pain, and headache. The results of a new study, published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, pave the way for a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between this viral infection and autoimmune diseases. The study, conducted by a team from the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, analyzed blood samples from patients exposed to chikungunya in Colombia. The researchers tracked the behavior of immune cells, particularly CD4+ helper T cells, in combating the virus. What surprised the research team was the discovery that these cells—and not CD8+ killer T cells, as expected—led the fight against the virus and persisted in the body for years after the infection cleared. The data show that 87% of patients retained these cells in their blood six years after the initial infection, while killer cells were detected in only 13% of cases. Even more striking is that these helper cells switch to a "monofunctional" pattern, essentially secreting the inflammatory molecule TNF-alpha continuously, even after the virus has been eliminated. This abnormal behavior of immune cells closely resembles what we see in autoimmune diseases, where the immune system attacks healthy body tissue. "We would normally expect to see this pattern of immune response in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, not in viral infections," says Dr. Daniela Weisskopf, lead researcher of the study. This discovery provides a compelling scientific explanation for why many patients suffer from chronic joint pain that can persist for years after contracting the virus. These findings are particularly important in light of the widespread spread of the virus in more than 110 countries, and the similarity of its symptoms to other conditions such as "long COVID" and the long-term effects of dengue fever. They also open the door to developing more precise treatments that target these specific inflammatory pathways, and perhaps the use of TNF-alpha inhibitors, which have proven effective in some autoimmune diseases. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Hans India
6 days ago
- Health
- Hans India
New gene therapy to target airway and lungs via nasal spray
US researchers have engineered a novel gene therapy to target the airway and lungs via a nasal spray. For gene therapy to work well, therapeutic molecules need to be efficiently delivered to the correct locations in the body. It is commonly done by using adeno-associated viruses (AAV) gene therapy. To improve the AAV's ability to deliver therapeutics specifically to the lungs and airway, researchers at the Mass General Brigham engineered a new version, called which can be administered with a nasal spray. In preclinical models, outperformed previous versions by more effectively targeting the airway and lungs and showing promise for respiratory and lung gene therapy, said the researchers in the paper published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine. "We noticed that which we initially engineered to enter the central nervous system, also efficiently targeted lung cells," said senior author FengFeng Bei, from the Department of Neurosurgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "This prompted us to further investigate for intranasal gene delivery to the respiratory airways," Bei added. In the study, outperformed previous versions (AAV6 and AAV9) in cell culture, mouse models, and non-human primate models. 'Our findings highlight as a promising vector for respiratory and lung gene therapy,' the team said. They then used the more efficient tool to deliver scar-preventing gene therapy for pulmonary fibrosis, using a mouse model of the respiratory disease. They also used the tool to deliver gene therapy for a viral infection, where the therapy prevented the replication of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in a mouse model of Covid-19. "Although further research is needed, our findings suggest that intranasal has strong translational potential as a promising delivery tool for targeting the airway and lung," said Bei.
Medical News Today
13-05-2025
- Health
- Medical News Today
Glaucoma: Vitamin B, choline supplements may slow down progression
Two supplements may help slow down the progression of glaucoma, according to a new study. Design by MNT; Photography by& Halfdark/Getty Images Glaucoma is a type of eye disease that can injure the optic nerve and lead to blindness. Past studies show there are several ways a person can help lower their risk for glaucoma, including eating a healthy diet rich in certain nutrients. A new study has found that supplementation with B vitamins and choline may help slow the progression of glaucoma, via a mouse model. There is currently no cure for glaucoma. Medications, surgery, and laser treatments are currently used to help treat and slow the progression of the condition. Now, a new study recently published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine adds to this body of knowledge by reporting that supplementation with B vitamins and the essential nutrient choline may help slow the progression of glaucoma, via a mouse model. For this study, researchers focused on an amino acid that naturally occurs in the body called homocysteine. Homocysteine plays a crucial role in protein synthesis. Past studies have linked high homocysteine levels to the development and progression of glaucoma. However, in this current study, researchers found when mice with glaucoma were given higher levels of homocysteine, it did not make their glaucoma worse. They also discovered that increased amounts of homocysteine in the blood were not linked to how fast the disease progressed. 'Our conclusion is that homocysteine is a bystander in the disease process, not a player,' James Tribble, researcher and assistant professor at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and co-lead author of this study said in a press release. 'Altered homocysteine levels may reveal that the retina has lost its ability to use certain vitamins that are necessary to maintain healthy metabolism. That's why we wanted to investigate whether supplements of these vitamins could protect the retina,' he said. Researchers then provided supplements of B vitamins — including B6, B9 (folate), and B12 — as well as the essential nutrient choline to the glaucoma mouse model. Scientists discovered that in mice with slow development of glaucoma, the optic nerve damage was completely stopped. And in mice with a more aggressive form of glaucoma, the supplementation helped slow down the disease's progression. The researchers mentioned that in all experiments with the mouse glaucoma model, eye pressure was not treated. Glaucoma is normally associated with elevated eye pressure or intraocular pressure (IOP). A primary treatment for glaucoma is lowering the eye's IOP through the use of medications, laser treatments, or surgery. Scientists believe this shows that the vitamin supplementation may impact glaucoma in a different way than lower eye pressure. Researchers are now reportedly beginning a clinical trial to test their findings on humans. Medical News Today had the opportunity to speak with David I. Geffen, OD, FAAO, director of optometric and refractive services at the Gordon Schanzlin New Vision in La Jolla, CA, about this study. 'Any new method of decreasing the damage from glaucoma is a welcome addition to our ability to save eyesight,' Geffen commented. 'This could be revolutionary in, it is one of the first studies to show supplements will help control glaucoma. As our population is aging, we are seeing a large increase of glaucoma patients in our practice.' 'Because glaucoma is a progressive disease and we do not have a cure, any new treatment is a welcome addition,' he continued. 'We know glaucoma medications seem to be less effective over time. Therefore, we need to keep finding more new ways to help control this process and eventually cure the disease. This treatment may be an important way to look at new ways to control glaucoma.' 'In the future I would like to see some longer-term studies with glaucoma patients,' Geffen added. 'I would also like to see investigations on similar types of treatments utilizing other supplements.' MNT also spoke with Benjamin Bert, MD, a board certified ophthalmologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA, about this research. Bert commented that anytime we make any discoveries that show the potential to slow or prevent any damage from diseases like glaucoma is always a good thing. 'There have been other nutrition studies that have been done in the past that have shown some benefit, and so anything that we can add to what we can do on a daily basis is, of course, of great importance and great interest,' he added. 'Right now, the only treatments that we have for glaucoma specifically are eye drops and surgeries to lower the eye pressure, but we're discovering more and more that there's other things that are happening that can actually cause the progression of the glaucoma. So continuing to explore the actual background of why this damage is happening is very important to be able to develop other treatments for it, and also ways to prevent it from happening in the first place.' — Benjamin Bert, MD 'And this study, in particular, kind of identified homocysteine as one of the metabolic components that was causing some of the damage, which had been thought of before but not directly treated,' he added. 'And with the vitamin supplements showing some prevention benefit, that's an exciting thing for us to be able to have on the horizon.' Supplements Eye Health / Blindness Nutrition / Diet
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists Demonstrate Pre-clinical Proof of Concept for Next-Gen DNA Delivery Technology
Findings show potential for new lipid-based delivery formulations as a platform technology for immunization Philadelphia, PA, March 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Scientists in The Wistar Institute lab of David B. Weiner, Ph.D., in collaboration with scientists in the laboratory of Norbert Pardi, Ph.D., at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and at the Pennsylvania-headquartered biotechnology company INOVIO, described a next-generation vaccination technology that combines plasmid DNA with a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery system. Their findings are published in Cell Reports Medicine in the paper, 'Modulation of lipid nanoparticle-formulated plasmid DNA drives innate immune activation promoting adaptive immunity.'David Weiner, Wistar executive vice president and W.W. Smith Charitable Trust Distinguished Professor in Cancer Research, is a leading expert in the field of DNA vaccines. In the study led by Weiner lab doctoral student Nicholas Tursi, researchers aimed to study how to improve lipid-based formulations to better incorporate and deliver DNA payloads for immunization. Lipid-based approaches, including LNPs, have successfully formulated and delivered various forms of RNA as well as formulating proteins as drugs in several marketed products. However, developing such formulations using DNA has previously not shown the same stability or efficacy. Tursi et al. studied how to modify lipid-based formulations that would effectively stabilize DNA in LNPs, which would simplify their delivery and improve vaccine-induced immunity. DNA has unique properties relative to RNA, including its large size and double stranded nature, which has previously been a hurdle for creating stable and consistent lipid-based DNA vaccines have been traditionally delivered using devices, which enable highly efficient uptake of DNA into cells at the injection site and potent T cell immunity against important disease targets. Utilizing an LNP formulation for DNA vaccines could potentially enable administration by needle and syringe and potentially enhance humoral immunity, which could provide an additional tool within the DNA vaccine a model DNA-LNP expressing influenza hemagglutinin (HA), the team examined how to modulate the formulation of DNA within LNPs to improve particle assembly and stability for direct injection. HA DNA-LNPs formulated at higher N/P ratios—the relationship between the lipid nanoparticle and the larger DNA backbone—led to an improved particle profile, smaller particle size, with an improved generation of immune responses. The study highlights some of the mechanisms of immunity that are conferred by DNA-LNPs. The team showed that these DNA-LNPs demonstrate a unique way of priming the immune system compared to mRNA and protein-in-adjuvant formulations. The DNA-LNP induced a unique activation pattern of innate immune populations—cells that respond early in the development of a protective immune response. The team next examined whether HA DNA-LNPs could induce strong and consistent adaptive immunity—the arm of the immune system responsible for long lived T cell and antibody responses. Relative to benchmark mRNA and protein-in-adjuvant vaccines, HA DNA-LNPs induced robust antibody and T cell responses after a single dose. Importantly, these responses were durable, with memory responses in small animals persisting beyond a year after immunization. The team also examined the immunogenicity of HA DNA-LNPs in a rabbit model, where they observed strong T cell and antibody responses that persisted into the memory phase. Finally, the team examined whether DNA-LNP vaccines could be protective in a live SARS-CoV-2 challenge model. The team utilized a DNA-LNP vaccine expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and demonstrated that a single immunization with the spike DNA-LNP successfully prevented morbidity and mortality from challenge. This study supports the continued development DNA-LNP vaccines as a unique vaccination modality. The ability for this approach to trigger strong, long-lasting immune responses highlights its potential to complement existing approaches or be potentially developed as next-generation immunization Nicholas J. Tursi1,2, Sachchidanand Tiwari3, Nicole Bedanova1, Toshitha Kannan1, Elizabeth Parzych1, Nisreen M.A. Okba4,5, Kevin Liaw1, András Sárközy3, Cory Livingston1, Maria Ibanez Trullen4,5, Ebony N. Gary1, Máté Vadovics3, Niklas Laenger1,6, Jennifer Londregan2, Mohammad Suhail Khan1, Serena Omo-Lamai7, Hiromi Muramatsu3, Kerry Blatney1, Casey Hojecki1, Viviane Machado8, Igor Marcic8, Trevor R.F. Smith8, Laurent M. Humeau8, Ami Patel1, Andrew Kossenkov1, Jacob S. Brenner7, David Allman2, Florian Krammer4,5,9,10, Norbert Pardi3,, and David B. Weiner1, 1Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute2Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania3Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania4Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai5Center for Vaccine Research and Pandemic Preparedness (C-VaRPP), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai6Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania7Biology Department, Saint Joseph's University8INOVIO Pharmaceuticals9Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai10Ignaz Semmelweis Institute, Interuniversity Institute for Infection Research, Medical University of Vienna Work supported by: NIH grants R01AI146101, R01AI153064, and P01AI165066; NIH/NIAID Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers (CIVIC) contract 75N93019C00051; and INOVIO Pharmaceuticals SRA 21-05. Additional funding provided by the W.W. Smith Charitable Trust Distinguished Professorship in Cancer Research and The Jill and Mark Fishman Foundation. Publication information: 'Modulation of lipid nanoparticle-formulated plasmid DNA drives innate immune activation promoting adaptive immunity,' from Cell Reports Medicine ABOUT THE WISTAR INSTITUTE The Wistar Institute is the nation's first independent nonprofit institution devoted exclusively to foundational biomedical research and training. Since 1972, the Institute has held National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Cancer Center status. Through a culture and commitment to biomedical collaboration and innovation, Wistar science leads to breakthrough early-stage discoveries and life science sector start-ups. Wistar scientists are dedicated to solving some of the world's most challenging problems in the field of cancer and immunology, advancing human health through early-stage discovery and training the next generation of biomedical researchers. CONTACT: Darien Sutton The Wistar Institute 215-870-2048 dsutton@
