Nerve- and Airway-Associated Interstitial Macrophages Mitigate SARS-CoV-2 Pathogenesis via Type I Interferon Signaling

1. Academic Background The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of immunoregulatory mechanisms in respiratory viral infections. Despite vaccine advancements, the rapid mutation of SARS-CoV-2 continues to threaten public health. Studies indicate that severe COVID-19 cases are often associated with dysregulated immune responses rather tha...

Computationally Designed Proteins Mimic Antibody Immune Evasion in Viral Evolution

Academic Background The continuous mutation of SARS-CoV-2 has posed ongoing challenges to the efficacy of vaccines and antibody therapies. Traditional evaluation methods can only test against existing variants and fail to predict future immune escape mutations. To address this, Noor Youssef and colleagues developed the EVE-Vax (Evolutionary Variant...

A Hierarchy of Intestinal Antigens Instructs the CD4+ T Cell Receptor Repertoire

I. Research Background The intestinal immune system must balance tolerance and defense against dietary antigens, microbiota-derived antigens, and self-antigens. Although CD4+ T cells are known to play a central role in gut immunity, how different antigen sources shape the composition of the T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire remains unclear. The trad...

Vaccination of Nonhuman Primates Elicits a Broadly Neutralizing Antibody Lineage Targeting a Quaternary Epitope on the HIV-1 Env Trimer

1. Research Background The envelope glycoprotein (Env) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is the primary target of neutralizing antibodies, but its high variability poses challenges for vaccine development. Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) are rare in natural infections and typically require years to emerge. Although Env trimer m...

Differential Elimination of Marked Sex Chromosomes Enables Production of Nontransgenic Male Mosquitoes in a Single Strain

Research Background The Aedes aegypti mosquito is a primary vector for arboviruses such as dengue and Zika. Current genetic control strategies relying on the release of non-biting males (e.g., Sterile Insect Technique, SIT, or Wolbachia-based Incompatible Insect Technique, IIT) face a critical bottleneck: how to efficiently and cost-effectively iso...

Antigen Spatial-Matching Polyaptamer Nanostructure to Block Coronavirus Infection and Alleviate Inflammation

Academic Background In recent years, multiple outbreaks caused by coronaviruses have occurred globally, such as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), and COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia). These pandemics have not only posed a serious threat to human health but also exposed the inadequacy of emergen...

Synthesis, Physicochemical Characterization, and Antimicrobial Evaluation of Ureasil-Polyether Coatings with Silver Nanoparticles for Hospital Devices

Research Background Nosocomial infections are a common and serious problem in healthcare settings, particularly on reusable medical devices, where cross-contamination and biofilm formation are major causes. To address this challenge, researchers have begun exploring the use of coating materials containing metallic nanoparticles to prevent microbial...

Attractive Investigation of Zinc Chromium Nanoferrite by a Simple Auto-Combustion Method

Synthesis and Study of Antimicrobial and Magnetic Properties of ZnFeCrO4 Nanoferrite Academic Background Nanoferrites, due to their unique physical and chemical properties, have broad application prospects in various industrial fields. Spinel ferrites, in particular, are highly regarded for their tunable structures, making them attractive for use i...

Endothelial Cells Stably Infected with Recombinant Kaposi’s Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Display Distinct Viscoelastic and Morphological Properties

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a γ-herpesvirus that primarily infects endothelial cells and leads to the development of Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS), especially in people living with HIV. Kaposi’s sarcoma is a malignant tumor characterized by endothelial cell proliferation, typically presenting as cutaneous lesions. After infecting endo...

Epstein–Barr Virus Infection Exacerbates Ulcerative Colitis by Driving Macrophage Pyroptosis via the Upregulation of Glycolysis

Academic Background Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease characterized by recurrent inflammation and ulceration of the colonic mucosa. Current treatments for UC primarily rely on immunosuppressive drugs, such as corticosteroids, immunomodulators, and biologics. However, the immunosuppressive properties of these drugs incr...