immune system

Machine-learning immune-system analysis study may hold clues to personalized medicine

How people with compromised immune systems respond to vaccines is an important area of immunological research. A new study led by York University found that not only could machine-learning models accurately pinpoint differences in healthy controls and those living with HIV, but also found outliers in both groups that provide fascinating glimpses into the complex nature of the immune system and what personalized medicine could look like in the future, accounting for variables such as age, comorbidities and genetics.

Breakthrough study discovers genetic mutation could be basis for novel treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Research led by York University’s Faculty of Health reveals how a specific mutation in a protein called TRAF1 can shut down an overactive immune response, dramatically reducing inflammation in mice. Lead researcher Ali Abdul-Sater says this discovery could pave the way for a new class of drugs to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

New study gives clues on why exercise helps with inflammation

Researchers have long known that moderate exercise has a beneficial impact on the body’s response to inflammation, but what’s been less understood is why. New research coming out of York University done on a mouse model suggests that the answers may lie at the production level of macrophages — white blood cells responsible for killing off infections, healing injury and otherwise acting as first responders in the body.