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Phase III studies show Roche's ocrelizumab reduces relapse rate, delays disability progression in MS patients

Three phase III studies being presented at the European Committee for Treatment Research in Multiple Sclerosis congress demonstrate that treating MS with ocrelizumab reduces relapse rate and delay onset of disability progression compared to interferon beta-1a in relapsing forms of MS and disability progression in primary progressive MS compared to placebo.

12 Oct 2015

Gene therapy prevents neuronal death, disease effects in experimental model of PD

An estimated seven to ten million people worldwide are living with Parkinson's disease (PD), which is an incurable and progressive disease of the nervous system affecting movement and cognitive function. More than half of PD patients develop progressive disease showing signs of dementia similar to Alzheimer's disease.

9 Oct 2015

Daclizumab HYP superior to interferon in relapsing–remitting MS

The DECIDE study shows that 4-weekly daclizumab high-yield process reduces disease activity in patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis more effectively than weekly interferon beta-1a, albeit at the cost of more adverse effects.

8 Oct 2015

Immune-molecule-based mop-up therapy reduces specific type of breast tumor in mice

Disabling a cancer-causing pathway and administering an immune-molecule-based mop-up therapy eradicated a specific type of breast tumor in mice, according to researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

8 Oct 2015

Cancer treatment does not affect pregnancy outcome, shows new study

Women who are pregnant when diagnosed with cancer can start treatment for their disease immediately and do not need to terminate their pregnancy due to worries over the effects of therapy on the development of their child.

29 Sep 2015

Specialized proteins can inhibit HIV

There is little doubt that the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV, is devastating. More than 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV and more than 47,000 people are diagnosed annually. Now, University of Missouri researchers have made a discovery in how specialized proteins can inhibit the virus, opening the door for progress in the fight against HIV and for the production of advanced therapeutics to combat the disease.

29 Sep 2015

Penn researchers identify viral products that trigger immune response against RSV infection

Almost all human beings are exposed to the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, before their second birthdays. For most, the symptoms mimic those of the common cold: runny nose, coughing, sneezing, fever.

4 Sep 2015

Ascletis completes US$35 million (RMB 220 million) financing

Ascletis announced today the completion of a US$35 million (RMB 220 million) financing. The investment was led by C-Bridge Capital, joined by Tasly Pharmaceutical and Singapore-based Pavilion Capital. The valuation of the Company before financing was US$300 million.

2 Sep 2015

Volatile anesthetics may combat viral and bacterial infections in the lung

In use for more than a century, inhaled anesthetics like nitrous oxide and halothane have made modern surgery possible. Now, in experiments in mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere have added to evidence that certain so-called "volatile" anesthetics -- commonly used during surgeries -- may also possess powerful effects on the immune system that can combat viral and bacterial infections in the lung, including influenza and pneumonia.

2 Sep 2015

Ascletis receives TFDA approval to begin Phase II trial of interferon-free HCV regimen

Ascletis today announced it received the approval from the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) to start phase II clinical trial for its all-oral interferon (IFN)-free regimen to treat chronic hepatitis C (CHC).

31 Aug 2015

Adaptive immune system plays active role in guiding development of mammary glands

In experiments with mouse tissue, UC San Francisco researchers have discovered that the adaptive immune system, generally associated with fighting bacterial and viral infections, plays an active role in guiding the normal development of mammary glands, the only organs--in female humans as well as mice--that develop predominately after birth, beginning at puberty.

28 Aug 2015

Researchers find way to trigger 'virus alert' that may help boost drug's ability to prevent cancer cells

Working with human cancer cell lines and mice, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and elsewhere have found a way to trigger a type of immune system "virus alert" that may one day boost cancer patients' response to immunotherapy drugs. An increasingly promising focus of cancer research, the drugs are designed to disarm cancer cells' ability to avoid detection and destruction by the immune system.

27 Aug 2015

Yale study identifies new barrier to caring for chronic hepatitis C patients

Nearly one in four patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV) are denied initial approval for a drug therapy that treats the most common strain of the infection, according to a Yale School of Medicine study.

27 Aug 2015

Researchers identify strategy to prevent adenoviruses from multiplying and causing sickness in humans

Using an animal model they developed, Saint Louis University and Utah State university researchers have identified a strategy that could keep a common group of viruses called adenoviruses from replicating and causing sickness in humans.

21 Aug 2015

Researchers discover way to prevent flu infection without any help from the virus

Researchers have discovered a way to trigger a preventive response to a flu infection without any help from the usual players - the virus itself or interferon, a powerful infection fighter.

12 Aug 2015

Investigational topical drug shows promise in patients with early stage cutaneous T cell lymphoma

Results of a phase one trial show that an investigational topical drug, resiquimod gel, causes regression of both treated and untreated tumor lesions and may completely remove cancerous cells from both sites in patients with early stage cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) - a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that affects the skin.

7 Aug 2015

IP10 levels linked to HBsAg decline during TDF treatment

Baseline serum interferon-inducible protein 10 levels predict hepatitis B surface antigen reduction in patients with hepatitis B e antigen-negative chronic hepatitis B virus infection treated with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, findings indicate.

4 Aug 2015

Vaccine containing virus-like nanoparticles could be novel treatment option for RSV

A vaccine containing virus-like nanoparticles, or microscopic, genetically engineered particles, is an effective treatment for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), according to researchers at Georgia State University.

4 Aug 2015

Rare BCR-ABL fusions highlighted in CML

Chronic myeloid leukaemia patients with rare BCR-ABL fusions may be missed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, research suggests.

24 Jul 2015

Canadian researchers discover how HIV evades the body's antiviral responses

A Canadian research team at the IRCM in Montreal, led by molecular virologist Eric A. Cohen, PhD, made a significant discovery on how HIV escapes the body's antiviral responses. The team uncovered how an HIV viral protein known as Vpu tricks the immune system by using its own regulatory process to evade the host's first line of defence.

16 Jul 2015