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World Pneumonia Day 2024: New Treatments and Innovations

XTalks

Pneumonia is a lung infection that can be caused by viruses, bacteria or fungi and can result in millions of hospitalizations and deaths annually. Thus, to address drug-resistant infections, pharma and biotech companies are developing novel treatments such as bacteriophage therapies, immunomodulators and monoclonal antibodies.

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IgG antibodies in breast milk help shape infants’ gut bacteria and immunity

Scienmag

Researchers have known for some time that maternal breast milk provides critical nutrients for newborns, and antibodies from mothers vaccinated against a specific disease-causing bacterium or virus can be transferred via breast milk to babies.

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Antibody Structure: All You Ever Wanted – and Needed – to Know

BioSpace

Simply put, an antibody is a large, Y-shaped blood protein produced by plasma cells that the immune system uses to take down pathogens like bacteria – and of course, viruses like SARS-CoV-2.

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When the body's B cell training grounds stay open after hours

Medical Xpress

If B cells are the munitions factories of the immune system, manufacturing antibodies to neutralize harmful pathogens, then the tiny biological structures known as germinal centers are its weapons-development facilities.

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Maternal Antibodies: How Allergies Can be Passed from Mothers to Children

XTalks

It has long been known that mothers greatly influence the development of the growing fetus by not only providing nutrients through the placenta, but also a growing list of biological elements including beneficial antibodies, gut bacteria and now, allergies. They reported their findings last week in the journal Science.

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Gut microbes shape our antibodies before we are infected by pathogens

Scienmag

Credit: Courtesy of Stephanie Ganal-Vonarburg B cells are white blood cells that develop to produce antibodies. These antibodies, or immunoglobulins, can bind to harmful foreign particles (such as viruses or disease-causing bacteria) to stop them invading and infecting the body’s cells.

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Veterinary college receives $3.5 million NIH grant to develop Lyme disease vaccine

Scienmag

Credit: Virginia Tech Renowned tick immunobiologist Utpal Pal wants to ad apt the rabies vaccination platform to produce antibodies that can protect against Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease. The intention is to apply this work to other tick-borne diseases in the future.

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