Vaccines work by teaching your immune system about new viruses. Your immune cells are very clever – they will remember what they learnt, and protect you if you encounter that virus in the future.
Patients suffering from severe COVID-19 may be experiencing a rogue antibody response similar to that seen in autoimmune diseases. The findings offer new approaches for COVID-19 therapy.
Our first exposure to a pathogen, either naturally or via vaccination, can affect how our immune system responds in the future to the same or similar pathogens.
The president and first lady Melania Trump have both tested positive for the coronavirus. Here’s what the physicians and scientists know about the best treatments for the disease it causes.
Antibodies are great for neutralizing viruses. But they are big and bulky. Antibody engineers are now creating smaller synthetic antibody-like molecules that may be better for fighting COVID-19.
The immune system is trained to destroy viruses, even when they carry therapeutic cargo as is the case in gene therapy. Now researchers have figured out how to dial down the immune response.
If antibody levels drop dramatically after an infection, what does that mean for immunity? An expert explains how B and T cells contribute to immunity and why antibodies don’t tell the full story.
Your immune system changes when you are pregnant, and this may help protect you and your child from COVID-19 – but we need more research to understand this better.
Many patients suffering from COVID-19 exhibit neurological symptoms, from loss of smell to delirium to a higher risk of stroke. Down the road, will COVID-19 survivors face a wave of cognitive issues?
Director, Children’s Health and Environment Program and World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Children’s Health and Environment, The University of Queensland