Autoimmune Life Blog

Community and news about autoimmune diseases, allergies and more.

Blog Main Image - Researcher Woman Examining Samples Blue
January 10, 2024

On the Brink of a Golden Age of Medicine

"I know we will reach that golden age, and BRI’s research in human immunology is the vehi¬cle that will take us there. This field has shepherded incredible advances in recent years, including new vaccines, new cancer treatments, and new and better treatment options for autoimmune disease."
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Blog Main Image -  BRI Summer Interns 2023 Group
September 28, 2023

Meet BRI's Summer 2023 Interns

Each summer, BRI hosts undergraduate interns from universities across the country. They join various BRI labs and departments to take on research projects with mentorship from our scientists. Meet this year's interns and learn about the exciting projects they worked on.
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Blog Main Image -  Mikaela Horse Editorial
September 25, 2023

Participants Like Mikaela Fuel Research Advances

Participating in a clinical trial for type 1 diabetes (T1D) was easy for 9-year-old Mikaela. “Everyone was really nice. I just had to drink a milkshake with some medicine in it and get an IV.
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Blog Main Image -  Scientific Organoid Blue Green
September 21, 2023

Revolutionary Microscope to Fuel Immunology Breakthroughs

What if we could take a blood sample from a person with rheumatoid arthritis, zero in on the immune cells that cause the disease, and watch what they’re doing in real-time video?
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Featured Image - Clinical Research Subject Blue
September 19, 2023

An Insider's Look Into Clinical Trials at BRI

Before medicines become widely available, they have to be rigorously tested — first in the lab, then in people through clinical trials.
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Blog Main Image - Man Coding Single Screen
June 30, 2023

Big Data Reveals Surprising Defense Against COVID-19

“If you’d asked me in March 2020, I’d have said the pandemic was going to be really bad for my asthma patients. But we saw the opposite,” says Matt Altman, MD, MPhil, who treats patients with allergies and asthma at UW Medicine and conducts research at BRI.
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Featured Tumor Microenvironment Cancer T-Cell
June 30, 2023

What Do T Cells Like to Eat? The Answer Could Stop Multiple Sclerosis

Cells, like people, get their energy from sugars, proteins and fats. Many cells have highly specialized diets — think of some loving kale while others prefer Texas BBQ.
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Blog Main Image -  James Lab T1D Beta Stem Cells
June 30, 2023

To Belgium and Back Again to Study Beta Cells

BRI researchers are working to develop a groundbreaking new approach to treat type 1 diabetes (T1D). They aim to turn T cells that cause T1D into regulatory T cells (Tregs) that protect you from T1D.
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Blog Main Image -  3D Biological Anatomy Pancreas
June 30, 2023

Using Epidemiology to Fight Pancreas Cancer

It only took one statistic to get Meg Mandelson, PhD, interested in studying pancreas cancer. “Five-year survival rates have greatly improved for almost every cancer over the past two decades,” she says. “Pancreas cancer is one of the few that hasn’t.” 
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Blog Main Image - 3D Biological Cells Blue
March 29, 2023

Learning How Tregs Keep Your Immune System in Check

The immune system keeps us healthy by maintaining a delicate balance. Every cell has a purpose: Some sound the alarm when they see an invader. Some attack germs that don’t belong. And some patrol the other cells in the immune system to make sure they’re doing their job.
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