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Using a new computational method based on a causal inference framework, CINEMA-OT, the Yale team studied how individual immune cells react to combinations of cytokines, or small proteins released by cells that regulate inflammation. They discovered that certain cytokines have a synergistic effect, inducing unique gene activation programs compared to their individual effects. This cryptography of cytokine signals acts as a language, instructing immune cells.
- July 26, 2023
Several members of our faculty in the department of Pediatrics received awards for their distinguished service in teaching for the 2022-2023 academic year.
- January 22, 2023Source: NBC News CT
The researchers are looking for little known viruses in certain samples to try to identify new diseases before they become a threat. “COVID came as a surprise. All of the sudden, there was an outbreak, and people discovered that there was a new virus that could cause an illness,” Dr. Ellen Foxman, Yale School of Medicine immunologist, said. “What we want to do going forward is be able to get ahead of that.”
- January 11, 2023Source: Knowable magazine
The ‘tripledemic’ unfolding this winter is one of several odd trends among respiratory virus infections these last years. Viruses, it turns out, can block one another and take turns to dominate.
- January 02, 2023Source: YaleNews
A new Yale-led study finds that testing for a single immune system molecule on nasal swabs can help detect stealthy viruses not identified in standard tests.
- December 06, 2022Source: The Scientist
The “tripledemic” shines a spotlight on viral interference, in which one infection can block another.
- November 17, 2022Source: Science
A growing body of evidence suggests that SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses often “interfere” with each other. Although waves of each virus may stress emergency rooms and intensive care units, the small clique of researchers who study these viral collisions say there is little chance the trio will peak together and collectively crash hospital systems the way COVID-19 did at the pandemic’s start.
- November 15, 2022Source: Reuters Fact Check
While it remains true that there is no cure for the common cold, social media users are sharing a misleading message that the common cold is itself a “cure” for built-up toxins and debris. Contrary to social media claims, “There is excellent scientific evidence that common colds are caused by viruses,” Dr. Ellen Foxman, of the Yale School of Medicine, told Reuters by email. “There are several different viruses that can cause colds, but the most common one is rhinovirus. (Named rhino for - you guessed it - the nose.)”
- August 02, 2022Source: WebMD
Day-to-day life changed a lot when COVID-19 hit. To curb the spread of the virus, health experts urged us to social distance, wear a mask, and wash our hands all the time. Then a surprising thing happened. “All the normal respiratory infections we usually get -- from cold and flu viruses -- didn’t happen, which was very dramatic,” says Ellen Foxman, MD, PhD. She’s an immunobiologist at Yale Medicine and an assistant professor of laboratory medicine and immunobiology at Yale School of Medicine.
- April 08, 2022Source: The New York Times
Scientists are exploring a theory suggesting that exposure to one respiratory virus helps the body fend off competing pathogens.