Adenovirus, a common human virus that usually affects the lungs and causes respiratory tract infections, is an old friend to virologists. They have long studied how this virus interacts with host cells to understand cellular processes and reveal key regulators of cellular functions.
When you have a chronic allergic disorder, it’s easy to blame the trigger — an early pollen season or furry pet — but the real culprit is your own immune system. Designed to attack foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses, T cells are the immune system’s watchdog to recognize serious threats. But sometimes T cells can be too zealous and set in motion a signaling cascade that can cause allergic reactions to everyday things and even attack your body’s healthy cells by mistake.
We’re officially into autumn, which means flu season is just around the corner. Having a vaccine each year helps stave off the flu, but much is still to be learned about the virus.
Your immune system is designed to protect against foreign invaders such as infections, but you may not realize that it also destroys abnormal cells that your body produces.
Melding together genomics technology, disease patterns, immunology, and microbiology, physician-scientists at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia are finding new and individualized therapies for patients with very early onset inflammatory bowel disease.
Investigators at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia are studying the underlying biological features that could be common from one allergic disease to another.
Dr. Barr recently received a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to examine the immune system’s role in opioid dependence during early development.
