All Duke-NUS Medical School articles
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NewsScientists link waning Japanese encephalitis immunity to higher dengue severity
Scientists have found that waning immunity to Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) may increase the risk of more severe dengue disease in humans. The study highlights how fading vaccine protection from one virus can unintentionally affect the body’s response to another.
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NewsStudy reveals how dengue rewires the immune system, reshaping vaccine response
Just as a computer’s operating system can be rewritten after a major update, dengue infection can ‘re-programme’ the body’s immune system, leaving a long-lasting genetic imprint that influences how people respond to future infections—an effect not seen with vaccination.
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NewsScientists reveal gut microbes’ hidden role in anxiety—Could probiotics be the next mental health breakthrough?
Scientists have discovered a crucial connection between gut microbes and anxiety-related behaviour, suggesting that microbial metabolites – specifically indoles – play a direct role in regulating brain activity linked to anxiety.
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NewsShorter, smarter, safer: Short-course antibiotics can revolutionize healthcare
Researchers suggest that short-course antibiotic treatment could be the next game-changing strategy to treat ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in various economic settings. It provides a cost-effective and practical approach that benefits both patients and the healthcare systems.
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NewsT cells’ capability to fully prevent acute viral infections opens new avenues for vaccine development
Scientists have discovered that T cells—white blood cells that can destroy harmful pathogens—can completely prevent viral infection, to an extent previously thought only possible due to neutralising antibodies.
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NewsStudy reveals early immune protection in the womb
Researchers have discovered that fetuses can manage their own immune responses to combat diseases and infections like Zika.
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NewsStudy finds outbreak detection under-resourced in Asia
A two-year assessment provides critical insights and recommendations for strengthening genomic sequencing for infectious disease surveillance in 13 South and Southeast Asian countries.
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NewsImmune response to dengue can predict risk of severe reinfections
Researchers have found that natural killer T (NKT) cells influence whether the immune response generates protective antibodies that neutralise dengue virus or harmful ones that could exacerbate the disease in future infections.
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NewsStudy identifies immunity threshold for protection against COVID-19 in children
Researchers have found rather than antibodies, other arms of the immune system – T cells and memory B cells – provide durable protection against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in children.
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NewsEpstein-Barr virus hijacks host genome boosting nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Researchers unravel the mechanisms of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and host chromatin interactions in nasopharyngeal cancer cells.
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NewsZika virus vaccine emerges as an unlikely hero in battling brain cancer
Scientists have developed a new approach using the Zika virus to destroy brain cancer cells and inhibit tumour growth, while sparing healthy cells.
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NewsPotential nasal COVID-19 vaccine candidate offers better and longer protection
Study shows that administering a COVID-19 vaccine as a nasal spray rather than a subcutaneous injection enhances the body’s long-term immune memory, thereby increasing the vaccine’s overall effectiveness.
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NewsMaternal dengue immunity worsens birth defects caused by Zika virus
A new study finds prior dengue antibodies substantially raise the risk of microcephaly and fetal defects with Zika infection.
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NewsNewly discovered antibodies can neutralize COVID-19 variants
Scientists have isolated potent neutralizing antibodies from a COVID-19 vaccinated SARS survivor that exhibited remarkable breadth against known sarbecoviruses.