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Delthia Ricks

Delthia Ricks

Author

Delthia Ricks is an award-winning science writer and author with stories published in Newsday, Discover Magazine, and the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. She has written four books, most recently "100 Questions and Answers About Coronaviruses." She holds degrees from UCLA and Columbia University, with an M.S. in Biology.

Articles by Delthia Ricks

Medical Xpress / Two studies point to beta cells as active players in type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is widely understood as an autoimmune disease, with the immune system attacking the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. But two new studies suggest those cells may be more than passive victims. Together, ...

Jun 30, 2026
Medical Xpress / Emerging mRNA vaccine strategies target cancer and pathogenic viruses in potent new ways

The technology that gave the world mRNA COVID vaccines is being tested in a variety of new ways, and emerging research reveals that a crucial T-cell population can be reprogrammed in animal models by reimagining the science ...

Jun 29, 2026
Medical Xpress / Keeping HIV at bay: New approach explores broadly neutralizing antibodies to treat infants

In the ongoing effort to find new therapeutics for infants born infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, an international team of investigators has discovered that babies can tolerate treatment with anti-HIV antibodies.

Jun 23, 2026
Medical Xpress / An intranasal flu vaccine approved two decades ago may have underappreciated immune benefits

For decades, influenza vaccines have been judged largely by the antibodies they generate in the bloodstream, a measure that has remained the gold standard since the first flu immunizations were administered in the 1940s.

Jun 16, 2026
Medical Xpress / Unprecedented view inside live stem cells reveals aging process and loss of regenerative capacity

Scientists have developed a powerful new technique that allows them to observe how individual cells manufacture proteins during aging, offering an unprecedented glimpse into the hidden molecular activity of stem cells in ...

May 28, 2026
Medical Xpress / Gold-coated microneedles can detect subtleties in how liver and kidneys process drugs in real time

Scientists have taken a giant leap forward with the development of tiny microneedles designed to detect subtle but critical changes in how the liver and kidneys process therapeutic drugs. The experimental technology, under ...

May 8, 2026
Medical Xpress / Scientists recruit red blood cells to deliver genetic cargo with instructions to kill cancer

Scientists have developed a way to turn the body's own immune cells into cancer-fighting agents—without removing them from the body—by using red blood cells to deliver genetic instructions. Current CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) ...

Apr 29, 2026
Medical Xpress / Turning immune cells into tumor allies: A cancer cell protein can reprogram frontline defenders

Cancer cells can disarm the immune system not just by hiding from it, but by actively reprogramming nearby immune cells into a suppressed state. This previously unrecognized molecular interaction, discovered by scientists ...

Apr 27, 2026
Medical Xpress / Robust flu protection may rely on B cells that are long-lived residents in the lungs

Deep in the lungs, resident memory B cells stand guard against influenza reinfection—but whether they remain there may depend on how strongly they are signaled through their own receptors. New research using an animal model ...

Apr 19, 2026
Medical Xpress / Chloride ions do more than help neurons fire—they may also help control how genes are expressed

Chloride ions, best known for helping cells maintain fluid balance and electrical stability, may also play a more direct role in regulating brain development than previously thought. In a new study, published in the journal ...

Apr 13, 2026
Medical Xpress / As RSV evolves, a two‑pronged antibody cocktail aims to stay ahead

Scientists in China have developed a two-antibody cocktail to treat respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, that in laboratory studies prevented the virus from developing drug resistance—a persistent problem with current therapies ...

Apr 12, 2026
Medical Xpress / How T cells amplify signals: New study reveals key molecular switch

Signaling is fundamental to how cells sense and respond to their environment—but in immune cells, those signals must be precisely amplified to mount an effective defense against invasive threats. New research by immunologists ...

Apr 1, 2026
Medical Xpress / A protein may help revive exhausted T cells in cancer immunotherapy

Immunotherapy has been one of the most transformative treatments for cancer patients in recent decades, shifting the emphasis from the broad-spectrum approach of chemotherapy to prompting the immune system's boldest warriors—its ...

Mar 24, 2026
Medical Xpress / Scientists track real-time signaling in T cell activation to show how the immune system defends against threats

T cell activation—the process by which these key immune defenders recognize threats and mobilize against them—depends on exquisitely timed molecular signals. Now researchers have captured one of the earliest moments of that ...

Mar 18, 2026
Medical Xpress / HIV can develop resistance to blockbuster antiviral lenacapavir—but at a cost to the virus

Long-acting antiviral medications are transforming HIV prevention and care, requiring only minimalistic dosing. But as the use of lenacapavir expands, scientists are probing a critical question: If the virus evolves resistance, ...

Feb 28, 2026