immune system

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. 

From Friend to Foe: When the Immune System Turns on the Brain

IRP Research is Exploring the Role of Immune Cells in Dementia

illustration of fire trucks rushing to put out a fire in the brain

If you visit a lab at NIH’s Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias (CARD), you may find yourself surrounded by several robots hard at work nurturing the hundreds of sets of genetically modified stem cells that CARD scientists use to study the illnesses that give CARD its name. Many of these cells will be coaxed to mature into the neurons that power our movements, thoughts, and memories — but not all of them. Neurons have long received the lion share of dementia researchers’ attention, understandable seeing as the visible symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are closely linked to a build-up of proteins — amyloid-beta and misfolded tau — that damage neurons. However, neurons aren’t the only brain cells involved in dementia.

Rooting Out Genetic Risks for Gum Disease

IRP’s Oral Health Experts Explore Why It’s Not Always About Brushing and Flossing

illustration of inflammation in the gums

When you dig into that bowl of candy this Halloween, you may want to keep in mind that those sweets are not only fueling your sweet tooth, but also an army of creepy crawlies living in your mouth, busily forming a sticky film of plaque and attacking your gums.

As Dental Hygiene Month comes to a close this October, we spoke with IRP Clinical Research Specialist Laurie Brenchley, R.D.H., a dental hygienist and clinical study coordinator in the laboratory of IRP senior investigator Niki Moutsopoulos, D.D.S., Ph.D. Together, Brenchley and Dr. Moutsopoulos are studying the link between oral health and the immune system, with a specific focus on cases in which genetic factors increase susceptibility to severe gum disease, more formally known as periodontitis.

NIH Mourns the Passing of John Gallin

Dr. John Gallin

NIH Director Monica M. Bertagnolli, M.D., offered the following tribute to Dr. John I. Gallin, M.D., upon hearing of his passing on Thursday, October 10, 2024.

It is with a heavy heart that I share that John I. Gallin, M.D., the 10th and longest-serving director of the NIH Clinical Center, died at his home today of multiple myeloma at the age of 81 with his wife Elaine Gallin, Ph.D., by his side.

John’s illustrious career at NIH spanned more than 50 years, but he will be most remembered for leading NIH’s research hospital for 23 years from 1994-2017. He often said that his time at the NIH Clinical Center, which he referred to as the “House of Hope,” was his most special because of the hospital’s partnership with patients to improve health through clinical research. He developed the hospital’s research portfolio, created the Patient Advisory Group, established the Department of Bioethics, and was instrumental in the creation of the Edmond J. Safra Family Lodge for adult patients and their families, a complement to The Children’s Inn. He also led efforts to build the addition to the hospital, the Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center, which opened to patients in 2005. He started the Bench-to-Bedside Awards to integrate the work of basic and clinical investigators. His years of work led to the NIH Clinical Center receiving the 2011 Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award.

Camel-Derived Therapy Infiltrates Cells to Treat Multiple Sclerosis

IRP Mouse Study Shows Promise of Treatment Strategy

camel in the desert

Earth’s jungles, deserts, and oceans are chock-full of wonderous creatures that have inspired a wide array of cutting-edge technologies, from strong yet flexible clothes made of synthetic spider silk to the plant-derived aspirin and morphine that have long been used as painkillers. Over the past few years, scientists at NIH and elsewhere have added sharks and camels to that list due to unique molecules their immune systems make. IRP researchers recently showed that one of those molecules could potentially be used to treat the devastating neurological disease known as multiple sclerosis.

IRP’s Giorgio Trinchieri Elected to National Academy of Sciences

IRP Scientist Has Found New Ways to Wield the Immune System Against Cancer

Dr. Giorgio Trinchieri

Over the past twenty or so years, we’ve seen a sea change in many cancer therapies resulting from advances in immunotherapy. Rather than trying to poison cancer cells with chemotherapy or rip apart their DNA with radiation, these treatments help our own bodies attack the disease. As a result, we’ve seen a remarkable reduction in cancer deaths from many types of tumors. 

NIH Distinguished Investigator Giorgio Trinchieri, M.D., has long stood at the forefront of these discoveries. This year, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) for his achievements in identifying the mechanisms regulating the activity of certain classes of immune cells and how the environment around a tumor interacts with the immune system to suppress an immune response to the disease. This includes searching for ways to expand the benefits of immunotherapy to more patients.

Postbac Poster Day Presents a Buffet of Biology

Young Scientists Demonstrate Fruits of Their IRP Research

IRP postbaccalaureate fellow Monica Mesecar with her poster at Postbac Poster Day

There’s nothing quite like visiting NIH’s Postbac Poster Day to boost your faith that the future of biomedical science is bright. On May 1 and 2, more than a thousand recent college graduates participating in NIH’s Postbac program showed their colleagues, friends, and family the fascinating projects they’re working on in IRP labs. From delving into the aging brain to making sense of the bacteria on our skin, these aspiring researchers demonstrated that they have the passion needed to unravel the most complex mysteries of human biology. Read on to learn about the scientific questions just a few of them have been doggedly investigating over the past year.

Bone Marrow Cells Reveal Secret Weapon to Battle Bacteria

Research Could Lead to Cell-Based Therapies for Infections and Autoimmune Reactions

bacterial colonies growing in a petri dish

One thing many scientists love about their job is that the topic they study can still surprise them even after decades of research. IRP senior investigator Eva Mezey, M.D., Ph.D., for instance, has spent the last 20 years investigating a particular set of cells in the bone marrow, yet until now she had never uncovered one of their most intriguing tricks. In a recent study, her IRP team and its collaborators discovered that those cells make a substance that can fight infections and tame hyper-active immune responses.

Saving the Skin From a Renegade Immune Reaction

IRP Study Provides Insight into Cancer Treatment’s Skin-Thickening Side Effects

person massaging his hands

Scientists have long dreamt of leveraging information about our genes to personalize medical treatment. However, in working towards that effort, they have increasingly discovered the importance not just of what genetic variants are present in a person’s DNA, but how active each of those genes is. Now, new IRP research suggests the possibility of using that information to personalize medical treatment for patients who experience serious skin problems after receiving a transplant of the bone marrow’s blood-producing stem cells.

Synthetic Materials Influence Body’s Healing Response

Research Could Lead to New Strategies for Treating Injuries

doctor examining knee after surgery

Modern medical advances mean that many people are not “only flesh and blood.” Mechanical devices and substances created in medical labs are commonly replacing or being added to parts of people’s bodies. A new IRP study has shed light on how some of those materials might influence the body’s healing process, providing insights that could eventually spur the creation of new ones that influence the behavior of the body’s immune system and allow doctors to better direct how the body repairs itself.