Infection and Immunity nieuws
Infection and Immunity nieuws
Apr 4: Strong together - the power of medical immunology within laboratory medicine
On Friday, March 31, 2023, Dörte Hamann, professor of Integral Immunological Diagnostics at UMC Utrecht held her inaugural lecture, titled “Strong together - the power of medical immunology in laboratory medicine”. In her lecture, Dörte elaborated on the collaboration between and integration of immunological research, medical-immunological diagnostics and clinical immunology. In addition, she focused on the increasing use of predictive biomarkers to select the best medicine for an individual patient with a chronic inflammatory disease. She concluded by calling on all medical diagnostic specialties to join forces.
Read moreMar 31: ZonMw 'Parel' award for better HIV treatment in South Africa
On Thursday 30 March, Dr Anne Wensing, virologist at Utrecht University Medical Center, received the ZonMw Parel Award from ZonMw director Véronique Timmerhuis for the ITREMA project. This successful cooperation project between the Netherlands and South Africa has led to improvements in HIV-treatment in South Africa, including in rural areas.
Read moreMar 8: Babies receive essential bacteria from their mothers after natural birth as well as after cesarean section
Babies receive essential bacteria from their mothers during birth and immediately afterwards, regardless of whether they are born via natural delivery or cesarean section. Researchers led by UMC Utrecht and the University of Edinburgh report this week in Cell Host & Microbe that mothers are able to transfer bacteria to their babies via multiple transmission routes, which can compensate for each other where necessary. For example, babies born via cesarean section receive less of their mother's gut microbiome (the bacterial population in the intestines) during birth, but appear to compensate that in part by receiving bacteria from breast milk.
Read moreFeb. 20: Another HIV cure after stem cell transplant
After four years of thorough observation, an international team of researchers has been able to determine that they have once again cured a patient with HIV. The HIV infection disappeared after the patient received a stem cell transplant as part of a therapy for leukemia. The patient - who is under treatment at the University Hospital of Düsseldorf - is part of the European IciStem program coordinated by UMC Utrecht.
Read moreFeb 17: Making neuroblastoma findable for the immune system
Neuroblastoma tumor cells are not well recognized by the immune system of children with a high-risk variant of this form of childhood cancer. PhD student Annelisa Cornel (UMC Utrecht and Princess Máxima Center, Utrecht) identified an existing drug – entinostat - that might change this. On February 16, 2023 Cornel received her doctoral degree.
Read moreFeb 16: The central nervous system, a reservoir for HIV?
Microglia cells are the only cells in the central nervous system that support HIV infection and replication and intact HIV DNA remains present in the CNS despite long-term treatment. In addition, in some HIV-positive individuals there is a significant difference between the virus population in the blood and that in the cerebrospinal fluid, indicating active replication in brain cells. With this thesis, fresh PhD Stephanie Gumbs from UMC Utrecht showed that in the central nervous system, microglia cells are the main reservoir for HIV.
Read moreFeb 2: Tuberculosis vaccine does not protect elderly against COVID-19
The tuberculosis vaccine (or BCG vaccine) does not protect elderly with co-morbidities against disease symptoms caused by a coronavirus infection. This was reported in the BCG-PRIME study which was initiated during the early days of the corona pandemic when no vaccines against the virus were available. As a collaborative effort, the study was designed and conducted in a very short time in 20 Dutch hospitals led by UMC Utrecht. After the main findings were already released in 2021, the full results of the study were published this week in Clinical Microbiology and Infection.
Read moreJan 12: Two previously unknown bacterial species identified from patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Investigators at UMC Utrecht (the Netherlands) and Yale University (USA) have isolated and characterized two new bacterial species from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The previously unknown bacterial species, which were named Allobaculum mucilyticum and Allobaculum fili, are isolated from the intestinal microbiota from two different patients and are the first members of the Allobaculum genus found in humans. In-depth characterization revealed that the strains were highly efficient in breaking down the protective mucus layer of the gut and provoked potent immune responses. These findings highlight the potential role for bacteria in the pathogenesis of IBD and may contribute to future preventive therapy.
Read morePoor adherence to dietary advice may provoke allergic reaction
Allergic reactions in adults with a food allergy occur frequently, are often severe and are associated with high costs. A striking, new finding was that non-adherence to dietary advice occurs in approximately one-third of adult patients, adding to the significant socioeconomic and psychosocial burden of food allergies. These were the key findings in the PhD research of Astrid Versluis who defended her thesis in Utrecht on January 10, 2023.
Read moreJan 9: Poor adherence to dietary advice may provoke allergic reaction
Allergic reactions in adults with a food allergy occur frequently, are often severe and are associated with high costs. A striking, new finding was that non-adherence to dietary advice occurs in approximately one-third of adult patients, adding to the significant socioeconomic and psychosocial burden of food allergies. These were the key findings in the PhD research of Astrid Versluis who defended her thesis in Utrecht on January 10, 2023.
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