Australian study finds severe viral infection can quickly 'paralyze' T-cells

SYDNEY, Aug. 30 (Xinhua Chen Yu) A new Australian study said that serious infections caused by viruses such as
viruses or new coronavirus can rapidly "paralyze" Immune cell T cells, and improving the activity of T cells in response to related mechanisms can help improve the corresponding antiviral therapy and anti-cancer therapy.
T cells are important immune cells, and in severe viral infections or cancers, their immune function may be impaired by what is known as T-cell depletion. Since T-cells are an important tool in some therapies such as anti-cancer immunotherapy, it is important to study the mechanism of T-cell depletion to improve related therapies.
in a new paper published in the British journal Nature Immunology, researchers at the University of Melbourne in Australia say they have found that severe viral infections can rapidly "paralyze" T-cells, unlike in the past, when T-cell depletion was considered a slow process. Experiments in mice showed that in weaker viral infections, T cells remain largely functional, but in severe viral infections, they can run out within a few days.
researchers say that if T-cells are adjusted early in a serious viral infection or cancer to increase their activity, it will help prevent T-cell depletion, which may improve some existing antiviral and cancer therapies.Axel Kallis, a professor at the University of Melbourne and author of the
paper, told Xinhua that further animal trials are needed to gradually push the method into clinical use because of the risk of serious side effects.