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News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Oct-2026 07:16 ET (23-Oct-2026 11:16 GMT/UTC)

Immune remodeling in extreme old age: how supercentenarians reshape their immune system

The University of Osaka
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the University of Osaka discovered that people who reach extreme old age have an unusual immune system. Around the age of 100, they develop large numbers of rare immune cells that resemble those seen in people fighting cancer, allowing them to remain highly active in their supercentenarian years. The findings suggest that the immune system can adapt with age and may help protect some people from disease to support exceptional longevity.

Journal: Cell Reports
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Takeda Science Foundation, Mochida Memorial Foundation for Medical and Pharmaceutical Research

Supercentenarians have an abundance of cancer-killing immune cells

Cell Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The human immune system has specialized cells called CD4 cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CD4 CTLs), which have been shown to kill tumor cells in some cancers. When a person gets sick, these cells multiply in a process called clonal expansion to help fight infection. In a study publishing in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports on August 19, researchers show that these immune cells also may play a role in healthy aging among supercentenarians.

Journal: Cell Reports
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Institute for Protein Research, University of Osaka, Takeda Science Foundation, Mochida Memorial Foundation for Medical and Pharmaceutical Research, Keio University Global Initiative Research Projects, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences

Newly found ‘immune organ’ inside skull directs brain defense

WashU Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at WashU Medicine discovered lymph node-like structures in the skull bone marrow of mice that play a role in mounting a rapid immune response in the brain.

Journal: Nature
Funder: Korea National Institute of Health, Cure Alzheimer's Fund, National Research Foundation of Korea

Preoperative high-dose corticosteroids in digestive cancer surgery

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About the Study: In this randomized clinical trial of elective digestive cancer surgery, a preoperative pulse dose of methylprednisolone did not improve major postoperative outcomes compared with placebo. The findings do not support routine use of high-dose corticosteroids in this setting.

Journal: JAMA Surgery

Bacteria found in lung tumors may boost immune response to cancer

Johns Hopkins Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Bacteria in lung tumors may boost the activation of innate immune cells in the presence of a common vitamin metabolite, according to a preclinical study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: Commonwealth Foundation, Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy

Hidden drivers of aggressive childhood cancer revealed

Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New clues have been uncovered about why the childhood cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma, may unexpectedly behave aggressively.

Journal: Cancer Research

Cell-preservation technique could make CAR-T cell therapy more accessible

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

MIT researchers developed a way to protect CAR-T cells from damage that can occur when they are frozen for storage and shipment. Their technique should make it easier for more hospitals to provide this treatment option to cancer patients.

Journal: Trends in Biotechnology
Funder: Ludwig Center at MIT’s Koch Institute, Convergence Scholars Program, MIT Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine

Colon cancer: How highly aggressive tumors evade the immune system

German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the HI-STEM Stem Cell Institute have identified a previously unknown mechanism by which a particularly aggressive form of colon cancer evades the immune system. The findings show that the activation of a key signaling pathway helps cancer cells suppress the immune system, thereby promoting the development of malignant tumors.

Journal: Gastroenterology

Aging reprograms skin genetic activity and promotes inflammation

Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at IRB Barcelona identify a molecular mechanism that amplifies chronic inflammation in aged skin.

With age, two proteins that normally help maintain epidermal function, BMAL1 and YAP, switch to promoting genes associated with inflammation.

The study, conducted mainly in mice and supported by the analysis of human skin data, has been published in the journal Nature Aging.

Journal: Nature Aging

Can antioxidant foods help prevent cervical cancer?

Wiley
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In research published in the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, a diet high in antioxidants was linked with a lower risk of cervical cancer in women.

Journal: International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics

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