IRP Discoveries

A Fight With The Flu Could Help Control COVID-19

IRP Mouse Study Reveals Factors That Influence Pandemic Virus’ Replication in the Lungs

a person's lungs surrounded by virus particles

Tuberculosis, the flu, a staph infection, asthma — you’d think all these ailments could only be bad news for the lungs. However, if they don’t get out of control, they might actually turn out to have an unexpected benefit. A new IRP mouse study suggests that a recent bout with these illnesses might prime the lungs to keep a lid on a COVID-19 infection.

One of the most perplexing aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic was the huge variation in individual experiences with the disease. Despite the incredibly infectious nature of the virus that causes it, SARS-CoV-2, many people never got sick at all, or at least never showed symptoms. For those who showed symptoms, they ranged wildly, mild for some and life-threatening for others.

Unlocking the Genetic Mysteries of Rare Autoinflammatory Diseases

IRP Researcher Finds Explanations and Hope

child getting her cheek swabbed for DNA analysis

Rare Disease Day, celebrated on or near February 29 — the rarest day on the calendar — calls attention to the 300 million people in the world who have some sort of rare disease. For children born with one of those diseases, speedy diagnosis and treatment may be necessary to ward off long-term complications, but that’s much easier said than done. This is especially true for pediatric autoinflammatory diseases, in which the immune system attacks the child’s own body. IRP senior investigator Raphaela T. Goldbach-Mansky, M.D., M.H.S., has made it her mission to discover and define these diseases and the genes that cause them, and then find a way to provide treatment. 

A Step Towards Precision Medicine for Lupus

IRP Research Hints at Potential of Genomic Technologies to Predict Patient Outcomes

blood vial and diagram showing DNA methylation markers on DNA molecules

Our genes certainly have a huge influence over our risk for disease, but they don’t operate in a vacuum. Rather, they’re decorated with numerous molecular tags like a bejeweled bracelet, and these ‘epigenetic’ markers affect how genes behave. A recent IRP study revealed differences in certain epigenetic markers that may one day help doctors more effectively treat patients with the autoimmune disease known as lupus.

Helping the Heart Stand Up to Sepsis

NIH Researcher Explores Why Some Survive Infection-Induced Organ Damage

human body with heart highlighted surrounded by bacteria

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” That line from Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes can be applied to mysteries of all sorts, including the ones scientists toil away in their labs to solve. When it comes to solving the many mysteries of sepsis — a life-threatening immune over-reaction to an uncontrolled infection — the process of elimination is leading us closer to answers, thanks to researchers at the NIH Clinical Center.

Sepsis — also known as septic shock in its most severe form — occurs when the body’s immune system kicks into overdrive to fight a severe infection. Unfortunately, rather than just attacking the harmful invaders, the immune system releases chemicals that, when present in excess, cause intense, tissue-damaging inflammation and impair organ function. In recognition of Sepsis Survivors Week, we spoke with IRP Senior Investigator Charles Natanson, M.D., about two of the great mysteries of sepsis: how does sepsis cause organ failure in the first place, and why do some people survive it while so many others die?

Leveraging AI To Combat Cervical Cancer

IRP Researcher Identifies Precise Disease Biomarkers

doctor holding an electronic tablet

Over the last few decades, advances in cervical cancer screening and prevention have fundamentally changed the approach to dealing with one of the most common forms of cancer in younger women. While doctors have been able to detect cancerous and pre-cancerous cells with a Pap smear since the 1940s, the more recent discovery that the human papillomavirus (HPV) causes more than 90 percent of cervical cancers now affords greater accuracy to regular screening tests. What’s more, IRP researchers truly changed the game by developing a vaccine against HPV, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006. 

Still, despite these extremely positive developments, much work remains to be done, as cervical cancer continues to kill about 4,000 American women each year. In honor of World Cervical Cancer Awareness Month this January, we spoke with IRP Senior Investigator Nicolas Wentzensen, M.D., Ph.D., about his efforts to bring that number as close to zero as possible.

Heavy Drinking Linked to Smell and Taste Alterations

IRP Research Utilizes National Study’s Data to Explore Under-Examined Phenomenon

woman tasting soup

From the spicy Bloody Mary and sweet piña colada to salty margaritas and bitter cheap beers, alcoholic drinks span the entire spectrum of tastes. It’s not a far leap, then, to think that the sense of taste can influence alcohol consumption habits, and vice-versa. A recent IRP study dove into this question, ultimately discovering a number of ways that smell and taste perception differ in people with high-risk drinking habits.

Tracking Sickle Cell Symptoms With Infrared Light

New IRP Study Supports Non-Invasive Way to Gauge Blood Vessel Health

infrared lamp

Nobody likes being jabbed with a needle for blood tests, but for people with sickle cell disease, it’s a necessary and frequent annoyance to make sure their condition is under control. However, blood tests may become less needed in the future for those patients thanks to new IRP research that has identified ways to measure certain health metrics using non-invasive, light-based technologies.

Antiviral Drug Stems the Spread of Parkinson’s-Promoting Protein

Study Shows Promise of New Treatment Approach in 3D Brain ‘Organoid’ Model

older man having difficulty eating soup

Our cells’ survival depends on their ability to take in the nutrients and other substances that they require. Unfortunately, this capacity is a double-edged sword, as cells can bring in both valuable resources and ticking time bombs. However, IRP researchers recently identified an existing drug that may be able to combat Parkinson’s disease by reducing cells’ penchant for snatching up the toxic proteins involved in Parkinson’s disease.

Attacking HIV At Its Core

IRP Researchers are Developing Vaccines Targeting the ‘Achilles Heel’ of a Wiley Infectious Threat

DNA molecule surrounded by viruses

In the 40 years since HIV, the virus behind AIDS, was first definitively identified, treatments have changed the disease from a sure death to a long-term chronic illness. Yet, as we passed the 36th annual commemoration of World AIDS Day on December 1, it remains a dangerous health threat. Consequently, many researchers are attempting to develop vaccines to prevent or treat HIV, including IRP senior investigator Barbara K. Felber, Ph.D. Dr. Felber has been pursuing an effective vaccine since the discovery of HIV in the early 1980s using a unique approach that is not only making headway toward that important goal, but also offering insights into other infectious diseases, as well as cancer immunotherapy.

COVID-19 Causes Persistent Protein Perturbations

New IRP Research Hints at Possible Culprits Behind Long-COVID

transparent human body combating COVID infection

Nearly five years after COVID-19 first raged across the United States, most people have some immunity to the disease through vaccination or a prior infection. However, COVID not only remains a continued threat to vulnerable individuals, but also has saddled some patients with lasting symptoms. New IRP research provides a starting point for better understanding that ‘long-COVID’ phenomenon by identifying an array of substances in the blood whose levels are abnormal months after people catch the illness.