Immune System News and Research

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Short-term calorie restriction improves function of T-cells

Scientists funded by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) found that volunteers who followed a low-calorie diet or a very low-calorie diet not only lost weight, but also significantly enhanced their immune response. The study may be the first to demonstrate the interaction between calorie restriction and immune markers among humans.

30 Apr 2010

Researchers identify new genetic link to systemic scleroderma

An international research consortium including scientists from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) has identified a new genetic link to the systemic form of scleroderma. Researchers believe a thorough understanding of the genetic nature of the disease is crucial to developing a cure.

30 Apr 2010

REGN reports net loss of $30.5M for first-quarter 2010

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced financial and operating results for the first quarter of 2010. The Company reported a net loss of $30.5 million, or $0.38 per share (basic and diluted), for the first quarter of 2010 compared with a net loss of $15.4 million, or $0.19 per share (basic and diluted), for the first quarter of 2009.

30 Apr 2010

New PCA-Rx therapy provides natural toxin removal treatment to Alzheimer's patients

According to the Alzheimer's Association, over 5 million Americans are afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. While its cause is controversial, many people believe a correlation exists with toxin accumulation. Until recently, chelation, an invasive, drug-based toxin removal therapy, has been patients' primary option.

30 Apr 2010

Approval of Provenge marks beginning of new era in cancer treatment: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Today's announcement that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Provengeâ, a new form of therapy for some prostate cancer patients, marks the beginning of an era in which patients' own immune systems become part of the standard therapeutic arsenal against cancer, say Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators who led a study of the treatment's effectiveness in patients.

30 Apr 2010

CDC presents clinical trial results of Biojector 2000 at 13th Annual Conference on Vaccine Research

Bioject Medical Technologies Inc., a leading developer of needle-free injection therapy systems (NFITS), today announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its collaborating institutions presented the latest results of its clinical trial of the Biojector® 2000 at the 13th Annual Conference on Vaccine Research, sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and held in Bethesda, Maryland April 26 - 28, 2010.

30 Apr 2010

No single immunosuppressive medication increases cancer risk in kidney transplant recipients

Drugs taken by kidney transplant recipients to prevent organ rejection carry similar risks of cancer, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results suggest that no single medication is to blame for the higher incidence of cancer seen among patients who have undergone transplantation.

30 Apr 2010

NWO awards 31 grants in Investment Subsidy NWO Medium programme

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded 31 grants in the Investment Subsidy NWO Medium programme for the acquisition of equipment, the setting up of data collections and the production of software and bibliographies. The total investment amounts to 10 million euro.

30 Apr 2010

New tool to detect inflammatory eye disease at molecular level before damage occurs

Forget what you know about how diseases are diagnosed-new research published in the May 2010 print issue of The FASEB Journal details a noninvasive ground-breaking tool that detects signs of disease at early molecular stages before symptoms can be seen using traditional methods.

30 Apr 2010

IRX Therapeutics and Japan's NCRC collaborate to evaluate peptide-based cancer vaccines

IRX Therapeutics, a developer of novel immunomodulators to treat cancer and viral diseases, today announced that it has established a strategic collaboration with Japan's National Cancer Research Center (NCRC) to evaluate next-generation peptide-based cancer vaccines. Clinical research will be conducted at NCRC. IRX Therapeutics will provide its proprietary IRX-2 immunomodulatory regimen, clinical trial design and technical support. This is the first collaboration of its kind between the NCRC and a U.S.-based biotechnology firm.

30 Apr 2010

TenX Biopharma signs Clinical Trial Agreement with NCI

TenX Biopharma, Inc., announced today it has signed a Clinical Trial Agreement with the National Cancer Institute to conduct an investigator sponsored Phase II clinical trial.

30 Apr 2010

PROVENGE receives FDA approval for treatment of CRPC

Dendreon Corporation today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved PROVENGE (sipuleucel-T), an autologous cellular immunotherapy for the treatment of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic, castrate-resistant (hormone-refractory) prostate cancer.

30 Apr 2010

Summer born babies more at risk of multiple sclerosis, says research

A recent study in Australia has found a link between low exposure to sunlight during the first three months of pregnancy and development of multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life of the baby.

30 Apr 2010

Dietary changes may help alleviate celiac disease, says study

New research published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that striking a balance of intestinal microbiota could play a role in early stages of celiac disease-related immune responses

30 Apr 2010

FDA approves new treatment option for prostate cancer

Today is an exciting day for men with advanced prostate cancer and the millions of families and loved ones who are profoundly affected. Today a new prostate cancer treatment option, Provenge, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

30 Apr 2010

Tel Aviv scientist uncovers a new way of detecting multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an equal opportunity destroyer. It attacks the central nervous system and eventually renders most patients disabled. Among its high-profile victims are celebrated cellist Jacqueline du Pre, whose career was ended by MS, and Joan Didion, one of America's greatest writers - but they are far from alone.

30 Apr 2010

Provenge cellular immunotherapy for men with advanced prostate cancer receives FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Provenge (sipuleucel-T), a new therapy for certain men with advanced prostate cancer that uses their own immune system to fight the disease.

30 Apr 2010

Researchers identify key protein that regulates innate immune system

A team of researchers led by Baylor College of Medicine has identified a protein called NLRC5, a member of the NOD-like protein family, that is involved in inhibition of protein complexes key to critical pathways of innate immunity called NF-κB and type I interferon signaling. A report on their work appears in the current issue of the journal Cell.

30 Apr 2010

Canadian researchers identify new therapeutic target for lung cancer

Lung cancer patients whose tumors over-express a cell surface molecule called CXCR4 do significantly worse than those who do not, Canadian researchers have found. Their work, reported at the 2nd European Lung Cancer Conference in Geneva, highlights the exciting possibility that the molecule could soon become a new target for personalized cancer therapy.

30 Apr 2010

FDA approves Provenge prostate cancer vaccine

Cancer may now be fought with a vaccine. The FDA has finally approved an immune boosting vaccine which is said to extend survival of patients at an advanced stage of prostate cancer by four months. This is twice as long as what could be expected with regular chemotherapy. There is also an increase of three years survival after detection in initial stage by 38% thanks to the vaccine.

30 Apr 2010