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Abbott, Biogen Idec announce additional results from daclizumab HYP Phase 2b trial for RRMS

Today Biogen Idec and Abbott announced additional results from the SELECT Phase 2b trial, the first of two registrational studies designed to evaluate the investigational compound daclizumab high-yield process in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

22 Oct 2011

Old age not synonymous with impairment and disability

Exceptional cognitive and physical function in old age leaves a tell-tale immunologic fingerprint, say researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. Likewise, older adults who have mild impairments bear a distinct immunologic pattern, too, according to findings published today in the Public Library of Science: One.

22 Oct 2011

Biomarker can help identify GVHD in cancer patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplant

A University of Michigan Health System-led team of researchers has found a biomarker they believe can help rapidly identify one of the most serious complications in patients with leukemia, lymphoma and other blood disorders who have received a transplant of new, blood-forming cells.

22 Oct 2011

Xencor commences XmAb5871 Phase 1 trial in autoimmune diseases

Xencor, Inc., a company using its proprietary Protein Design Automation (PDA) platform technology to engineer next-generation antibodies, announced today the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial of XmAb5871, the company's therapeutic antibody for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

22 Oct 2011

DFG announces establishment of twelve research units

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft has established nine new Research Units and three Clinical Research Units. The decision was made by the Joint Committee of Germany's central research funding organisation at its October meeting in Bonn.

22 Oct 2011

Geron announces data from ongoing GRNOPC1 Phase 1 trial on spinal cord injury

Geron Corporation today announced two presentations on the company's ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial of its human embryonic stem cell-based therapy, GRNOPC1, in patients with spinal cord injury.

21 Oct 2011

Wake up refreshed with a brain-monitoring alarm clock

We all know the feeling, the short, sharp shock of waking to the sound of an alarm clock. Whether the traditional clattering metal bells, the incessant beeping of digital or the dulcet tones of today's radio news reader. Even the chance to slap the snooze button to grab a few extra moments between the sheets does not leave everyone feeling refreshed when they finally crawl out of bed. Now, researchers in India think they have the answer.

21 Oct 2011

The Guardian interviews GlaxoSmithKline lead researcher about new malaria vaccine

The Guardian features an interview with Moncef Slaoui, now chair of research and development at GlaxoSmithKline, who discusses his 23-year involvement in the research leading to the RTS,S malaria vaccine that has shown to halve the risk of malaria among African children.

21 Oct 2011

Treating TB, HIV co-infections early, aggressively can save lives, multiple studies show

"Treating tuberculosis (TB) and HIV infections at the same time can be a challenge for patients and their doctors, but attacking both diseases early and aggressively isn't harmful and could save the lives of those who are sickest," according to a global study led by researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

21 Oct 2011

Effective ways to reduce risk of vaginal yeast infection

Vaginal thrush is one of the most popular topics on NHS Choices website. This common yeast infection affects around 75% (three-quarters) of women at some point. Up to half of these will have thrush more than once.

21 Oct 2011

Women with MET genetic variant and autoantibodies more likely to have autistic children

A study by researchers at UC Davis has found that pregnant women with a particular gene variation are more likely to produce autoantibodies to the brains of their developing fetuses and that the children of these mothers are at greater risk of later being diagnosed with autism.

20 Oct 2011

Starting HIV therapy within two weeks of TB treatment increases survival by 33%

Timing is everything when treating patients with both HIV and tuberculosis. Starting HIV therapy in such patients within two weeks of TB treatment, rather than two months as is the current practice, increases survival by 33 percent, according to a large-scale clinical trial in Cambodia led by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and the Immune Disease Institute.

20 Oct 2011

Rituximab may alleviate chronic fatigue syndrome through B-lymphocyte depletion

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) may be alleviated by the anti-cancer drug Rituximab, suggesting that the source of the disease could lie in the immune system, according to a new study published Oct. 19 in the online journal PLoS ONE.

20 Oct 2011

Breakthrough in development of effective therapy against Hendra virus

A team of Federal and university scientists reports a breakthrough in the development of an effective therapy against a deadly virus, Hendra virus. The results of their study, "A Neutralizing Human Monoclonal Antibody Protects African Green Monkeys from Hendra Virus Challenge," will appear in Science Translational Medicine online.

20 Oct 2011

Immdal sells its subsidiary Newport to Ewopharma

Immdal Limited ('Immdal'), a privately held Irish pharmaceutical healthcare group, today announced the sale of its subsidiary Newport Pharmaceuticals Limited ('Newport') to Swiss pharmaceutical company Ewopharma AG.

20 Oct 2011

Winter health and safety tips

Winter is a special time for celebration. It should also be a time for added caution if you or someone in your family is an older adult. It is the season for falls, slips on icy streets, and other dangers that can be especially harmful for older adults. "Something as simple as a fall can be devastating for older men and women," says Dr. Evelyn Granieri, director of the Division of Geriatrics at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/The Allen Hospital. "Before the cold weather arrives, it is important to prepare."

20 Oct 2011

New guidelines for prevention and early detection of cervical cancer

The American Cancer Society (ACS), the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP), and the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) have proposed new guidelines for the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer.

20 Oct 2011

Comprehensive roadmap promises to improve cancer immunotherapy development

The Cancer Immunotherapy Consortium (CIC) of the Cancer Research Institute (CRI) and the Association for Cancer Immunotherapy (CIMT) have issued a joint white paper, published in the October 13 issue of Nature Biotechnology, outlining a comprehensive roadmap that promises to help improve and facilitate the path forward in the development of novel immunotherapies for cancer.

19 Oct 2011

Link between development of new lymphoid tissue within the lung and protection against TB

New research from the Trudeau Institute may help in the ongoing fight against tuberculosis. Dr. Andrea Cooper's lab has discovered a connection between the development of new lymphoid tissue within the lung and protection against the disease.

19 Oct 2011

Women more likely to develop lupus at earlier ages

Debilitating. Destructive. Life-altering. These are just a few words used to describe autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases affect women 8 times more often than men, with lupus being one of the most disruptive. Lupus is a disease that occurs when a person's immune system attacks its own tissues and organs instead of attacking foreign invaders such as common viruses and bacteria. Lupus often results in wide-spread inflammation, pain, swelling and organ/tissue damage throughout the body.

19 Oct 2011