Biology Immunology

Maternal antibodies primed to react to specific allergens can cross the placenta, passing on transiently allergic reactions to offspring, according to new preclinical research from a collaborative study by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, and Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. The finding hints at why infants exhibit allergies so early in life and suggests possible targets for intervention.

Osaka City University unravels the atomic architecture of the “Nap” protein complex found on Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

Scientists have succeeded in reducing levels of the bovine leukemia virus (BLV) in cows with severe infections by combining an immune checkpoint inhibitor and an enzyme inhibitor. The finding could be utilized to control other diseases in cattle, and perhaps in humans someday.