How weaponising the body’s immune system can deliver a cure for cancer

TheConversation: We’re beginning to treat cancer in a whole new way. Rather than killing cancer cells directly with chemo or radiotherapy, the latest treatments are designed to promote the body’s natural immune control over the disease. So-called immunotherapy works to stimulate the body’s own immune system to destroy the cancer. It is not a new concept and was first described more than a century ago, but for the first time it is beginning to deliver long-lasting responses, which some are daring to call cures.

Researchers expose how ‘James Bond’ cells are made

Scimex: New research from Australian and Singaporean scientists has revealed how immune cell 'spies' are created, providing clues on how the immune system could be manipulated to better fight disease.
Dendritic cells are intelligence-gathering immune cells, gathering information on viruses, bacteria, cancer and fungi to aid the immune system in fighting disease. Understanding how dendritic cells are created will aid scientists in finding ways to boost the immune response to infections or dampen it in autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

Help for Hay Fever Sufferers: Experts Outline Best Practices for Treating Fifth Most Common Disease

Johns Hopkins University. US: About one in five Americans suffers from allergic rhinitis, commonly called “hay fever,” the fifth most common disease in the U.S., with health care costs of $2 billion to $5 billion per year. An expert panel’s new guideline recommends state-of-the-science treatments, including topical steroids for most patients and second-generation antihistamines for those whose main symptoms are sneezing and itching. Sublingual immunotherapy is the newest recommended treatment. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2014, it may help patients become symptom-free for years, but it is slow to take effect and has some risks.