Immune System News and Research

RSS

ViroStatics to present VS411 Phase II dose-ranging trial data at International AIDS Conference in Vienna

ViroStatics, a US/Italian biopharmaceutical company developing innovative immunotherapies for HIV/AIDS and other chronic diseases, is releasing Phase II data from a randomized, dose-ranging trial of VS411, the Company's novel combination product for treating HIV/AIDS, during the XVII International AIDS Conference this week in Vienna, Austria.

19 Jul 2010

FIT Biotech to present results of FIT-06 Phase II clinical trial at XVIII International AIDS 2010 Conference

FIT Biotech, a privately held biotechnology company developing novel, proprietary immunotherapies for HIV/AIDS and other viral diseases, announced results today from a Phase II clinical trial. The company's immunomodulator FIT-06 showed unprecedented long-term reductions in viral load (approximately 0.5 log) and statistically significant CD4 cell count increases in HIV-infected, previously untreated patients. The effect lasted longer than two years in the absence of any anti-retroviral therapy.

19 Jul 2010

Study evaluates immunization benefits of dissolving microneedles

A new vaccine-delivery patch based on hundreds of microscopic needles that dissolve into the skin could allow persons without medical training to painlessly administer vaccines - while providing improved immunization against diseases such as influenza.

19 Jul 2010

New mechanism that drives development of B-lymphocytes in bone marrow discovered

Scientists from the Department of Molecular Immunology, Institute of Biology III, Faculty of Biology and the Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, BIOSS have discovered a new mechanism that drives the development of B-lymphocytes in our bone marrow. B-lymphocytes are an important part of our immune system. Upon their activation they produce the antibodies protecting us from infections.

17 Jul 2010

Study examines HIV-positive patients' death risk at CD4 counts above 350

"Having HIV appears to be associated with a greater risk of death, even when the immune system is relatively robust and patients have not started treatment," according to a study published Friday in the Lancet, MedPage Today reports (Smith, 7/15).

17 Jul 2010

Research findings may help identify human TOR kinase inhibitors

A parasite estimated to afflict as many as 12 million people worldwide relies on a family of genes that should make it vulnerable to compounds developed to treat cancer and other disorders, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found.

17 Jul 2010

Also in Global Health News: WHO reacts to Amnesty's N. Korea report; Universal flu vaccine; Malaria-resistant mosquitoes

The WHO is questioning the validity of the findings of a recent Amnesty International report which highlighted the dire needs of North Korea's health system, "contradict[ing] the rosier picture given by WHO chief Margaret Chan after her April trip there," the Associated Press reports. Although WHO spokesman Paul Garwood "insisted he wasn't criticizing Amnesty's work … he said Thursday's report was anecdotal, with stories dating back to 2001," which "[h]e contrasted … with WHO's science-based approach" (7/16).

17 Jul 2010

Impact of circadian dysregulation on mental, physical health

Circadian (daily) rhythms are found in all functions - e.g. performance, mood, endocrine rhythms, behaviour, sleep timing. The biological clocks that control circadian rhythms are based on a genetic programme of interacting molecules in cells throughout the body, coordinated by a ´master clock´ in the brain and synchronised by external cues, mainly light.

16 Jul 2010

Study compares denture stomatitis genes with whole transcriptome for salivary biomarker analysis

The goal of the study was to compare whole-transcriptome, mucosal gene expression in Candida albicans (a parasitic fungus that can infect the mouth) associated chronic denture stomatitis to that of healthy oral mucosa and perform proteomic analyses of potential salivary biomarkers. Denture stomatitis is a condition in which the mucosa underneath a denture becomes inflamed and sometimes painful.

16 Jul 2010

Two-thirds of world's population are vitamin D-insufficient or deficient

Vitamin D surfaces as a news topic every few months. How much daily vitamin D should a person get? Is it possible to have too much of it? Is exposure to the sun, which is the body's natural way of producing vitamin D, the best option? Or do supplements suffice?

16 Jul 2010

Innovative imaging system uses night vision technology to tackle common side effect of cancer treatment

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) has reached an agreement with other institutions that will allow it to take the next step in commercially developing an innovative medical imaging system that uses night vision technology to tackle a common side effect of cancer treatment.

16 Jul 2010

Hemispherx publishes report of Japanese government funded program to develop nasally delivered H5N1 vaccine

Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. announced that it was publicizing the full technical (unedited) report in Japanese, prepared by Hideki Hasegawa, M.D. Ph.D., Director, Laboratory of Infectious Disease Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Disease (NIID, formerly Japan's National Institute of Health) and the certified English translation.

16 Jul 2010

i26 hyperimmune egg balances improper immune inflammatory response

Our immune systems are in a constant battle with foreign invaders to keep our bodies healthy. Outside forces like pollution, poor nutrition and new strains of disease keep our immune systems at an overly boosted or inflamed state, which affects energy levels, body and emotional health and overall quality of life. Through inflammatory immune cells, our bodies fight to defend us from this onslaught. Too few of these cells can result in illness, while too many could lead to a high immune response, resulting in heightened inflammation and collateral damage to the body's once-healthy tissues.

16 Jul 2010

Early HIV treatment reduces death, likelihood of TB, study finds

"Early treatment for HIV cuts patients' risk of death by about 75 percent," according to a study conducted in Haiti and published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, Bloomberg Businessweek reports. The study also demonstrated that "early antiretroviral treatment reduces the likelihood of tuberculosis, a leading cause of death among HIV patients, by 50 percent," the news service writes (Aquino, 7/14).

16 Jul 2010

New findings on macrophage activation can facilitate development of early diagnosis tools

Immune system cells called macrophages spring into action to surround and destroy threats such as viruses or cancer cells. But sometimes the would-be protective response leads to persistent inflammation, which, in turn, can cause disease.Scientists don't know exactly how macrophages cross the line from being good cops to bad cops, but researchers at the University of Florida recently unearthed several clues about the mechanisms involved. Through the lens of two inflammation-related diseases, HIV and rheumatoid arthritis, they identified changes in specific proteins linked to the action of macrophages, white blood cells that are key to the body's natural defenses.

16 Jul 2010

National Jewish Health named #1 respiratory hospital in the nation

For the 13th consecutive year, National Jewish Health has been named the #1 respiratory hospital in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

15 Jul 2010

Nitto Denko, Quark collaborate to develop siRNA therapeutics for fibrotic diseases

Nitto Denko Corporation, Japan's leading diversified materials manufacturer and Quark Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a world leader in the discovery and development of RNAi-based therapeutics, today announced the initiation of a collaboration and license agreement for the development of siRNA therapeutics for the treatment of fibrotic diseases.

15 Jul 2010

Fatness drives inactivity, not the other way around

According to a recent longitudinal study in children, inactivity does not lead to fatness! Moreover, the authors concluded that fatness is driving inactivity, and not the other way around. The authors noted that this "reverse causality" explains the observed association between inactivity and fatness. It also explains the repeated failures of the attempts to reduce childhood obesity by increasing physical activity. The study was published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood by Dr. Brad Metcalf and colleagues from Plymouth, UK.

15 Jul 2010

NIH awards MacroGenics $9.8 million grant for three projects

MacroGenics, Inc, a privately held biotechnology company that develops immunotherapeutics to treat autoimmune disorders, cancer and infectious diseases, today announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded the company three new grants representing total funding of $9.8 million.

15 Jul 2010

Cigarette smoking affects entire networks of gene interaction: Research

The effects of smoking cigarettes on gene activity have been investigated in the largest study of its kind. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Medical Genomics studied white blood cells taken from 1,240 people to identify 323 unique genes whose expression levels were significantly correlated with smoking behavior.

15 Jul 2010

Immune System News and Research

ViroStatics to present VS411 Phase II dose-ranging trial data at International AIDS Conference in Vienna

FIT Biotech to present results of FIT-06 Phase II clinical trial at XVIII International AIDS 2010 Conference

Study evaluates immunization benefits of dissolving microneedles

New mechanism that drives development of B-lymphocytes in bone marrow discovered

Study examines HIV-positive patients' death risk at CD4 counts above 350

Research findings may help identify human TOR kinase inhibitors

Also in Global Health News: WHO reacts to Amnesty's N. Korea report; Universal flu vaccine; Malaria-resistant mosquitoes

Impact of circadian dysregulation on mental, physical health

Study compares denture stomatitis genes with whole transcriptome for salivary biomarker analysis

Two-thirds of world's population are vitamin D-insufficient or deficient

Innovative imaging system uses night vision technology to tackle common side effect of cancer treatment

Hemispherx publishes report of Japanese government funded program to develop nasally delivered H5N1 vaccine

i26 hyperimmune egg balances improper immune inflammatory response

Early HIV treatment reduces death, likelihood of TB, study finds

New findings on macrophage activation can facilitate development of early diagnosis tools

National Jewish Health named #1 respiratory hospital in the nation

Nitto Denko, Quark collaborate to develop siRNA therapeutics for fibrotic diseases

Fatness drives inactivity, not the other way around

NIH awards MacroGenics $9.8 million grant for three projects

Cigarette smoking affects entire networks of gene interaction: Research

Immunology eBook

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

Latest News