immune system

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.

HHS Awards Recognize IRP Cancer Researchers

Long Careers at NIH Yield Groundbreaking Achievements

from left to right: Dr. Robert Yarchoan, Dr. Elaine Jaffe, and Dr. Louis Staudt

When you work at the National Institutes of Health, major advances in health and science can seem like a regular occurrence. Yet not all advances are created equal; some change entire paradigms for understanding and treating disease, even disarming a disease’s lethal effects.

This fall, three IRP senior investigators received Departmental Awards from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for their exceptional contributions to science: Louis M. Staudt, M.D., Ph.D., Elaine S. Jaffe, M.D., and Robert Yarchoan, M.D. Dr. Staudt received the HHS Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service for his revolutionary work on the diagnosis and treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL); Dr. Jaffe received the Secretary’s Award for Meritorious Service for her pioneering discoveries about lymphomas and blood cancers; and Dr. Yarchoan received the HHS Career Achievement Award for his role in developing the first effective drugs for AIDS and developing treatments for HIV-associated cancers.

Taming Inflammation in the Intestines

IRP’s Warren Strober Breaks Down the Causes of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

man with stomach pains

For many, the holiday season brings expectations of delicious meals and treats with family and friends, but the nearly 1.6 million Americans who have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may need to skip these delights or endure serious digestive distress. It’s fitting, then, that the first week of December is Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Week, an occasion that calls attention to the two conditions lumped together under the umbrella of IBD.

Of course, no awareness week is needed to remind IRP senior investigator Warren Strober, M.D., of the importance of learning more about those two conditions. An expert in how the immune system operates within the digestive system, Dr. Strober has spent decades looking for ways to provide relief for IBD sufferers.

New Lasker Scholars Are Coming for Cancer

IRP Program Supports Cutting-Edge Cancer Research

Dr. Rosa Nguyen

The cumulative years of experience among the IRP’s large cadre of cancer researchers is truly astounding, with numerous scientists having spent half a century or more studying the disease at NIH. As incredibly valuable as their hard-earned wisdom is to finding new treatments for cancer, any scientific field also benefits tremendously from a constant influx of young talent. That’s where the IRP’s Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Program comes in.

The Lasker program identifies extremely promising early-career physician-scientists in a wide variety of fields and provides them with funding and resources to start their own independent labs at NIH. Over the past year, purely by coincidence, all of the Lasker Scholars selected happen to specialize in the study and treatment of cancer. Read on to learn more about the new ideas and bounding enthusiasm these fresh faces are bringing to NIH’s fight against the disease.

A New Model of an Old Itch

IRP’s Marc Ferrer Grows 3D Skin to Study Eczema

person with eczema on their hands

Traditional ways of assessing the effectiveness and safety of potential new drugs don’t exactly mimic the human body. After all, we are not jumbo-sized mice, nor are we flat swaths of a single type of cell spread across a petri dish. As a result, many drugs that initially show promising results when tested on cell or animal models turn out to be disappointing in clinical trials.

That’s why scientists like the IRP’s Marc Ferrer, Ph.D., are developing more realistic models of human tissues, which give a more accurate picture of how well a drug might work in people. As we observe Eczema Awareness Month in October, we spoke with Dr. Ferrer, Director of NIH’s 3D Tissue Bioprinting Laboratory, about the efforts of his group to create a better model of human skin for testing treatments for that condition, which causes dry, itchy skin for more than 30 million Americans.

Immune Cells’ Rallying Cry Negates Cardiovascular Surgery’s Benefits

Existing Medications Could Extend Procedure’s Protective Effects

surgeons performing surgery

While modern surgery is undoubtedly a life-saving modern marvel, mucking around inside the human body rarely comes without consequences. Certain life-extending procedures meant to combat heart disease, for instance, commonly cause cardiovascular complications of their own. Fortunately, a team led by IRP researchers has identified a promising approach for staving off those surgical side effects to keep patients’ hearts robust for longer.

Fighting the Fungus Among Us

Overactive Immune Response Sets Stage for Infection

various fungi growing in a petri dish

Fungal infections are a serious medical threat to many people, especially those who are critically ill or have weakened immune systems. What’s more, outbreaks are on the rise, as studies show that rising global temperatures are causing fungi to evolve into new strains and grow in regions that were once too cold for comfort. Recent outbreaks include a tragic incident at a Michigan paper mill that sickened nearly 100 people and caused one death, as well as a cluster of fungal infections that have killed at least seven women who underwent cosmetic surgery at clinics in Mexico.

Commemorating Fungal Disease Awareness Week this week brings attention to the importance of combating fungal threats to our well-being. The theme this year is ‘Think Fungus,’ and that’s exactly what IRP senior investigator Michail Lionakis, M.D., Sc.D., has been doing for the last 20 years.

Sandra Wolin and Ronald Germain Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

IRP Scientists Recognized for RNA Revelations and Immune System Insights

Dr. Ronald Germain (left) and Dr. Sandra Wolin

Since its founding in 1780, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences has honored excellence in fields ranging from the humanities and arts to math, biology, and physics. In 2023, two of IRP’s eminent researchers joined the ranks of such luminaries as Benjamin Franklin and Nobel Prize winner Barbara McClintock as members of the Academy for their work in immunology and RNA science.

Research Reveals Trigger for Brain’s Repairmen

IRP Discoveries Could Enhance Recovery from Brain Injuries

people with repair tools working on a person's head

Many futurists and science fiction writers dream about a time when nanobots will run around our bodies fixing any damage that occurs. Until that day comes, we’re reliant on our immune system to mop up when things go wrong, a fickle set of cells that sometimes needs a push to get going. IRP scientists recently discovered how a particular type of cell in the blood stimulates the brain’s construction crew to leap into action, potentially opening the door to treatments that boost healing in the brain.