Immune System News and Research

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Mandatory flu shot program increases vaccination rate to more than 98% in BJC HealthCare

Making flu shots mandatory in 2008 dramatically increased the vaccination rate among St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare's nearly 26,000 employees to more than 98 percent, according to a report now online in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

4 Feb 2010

DNA variants in mother and fetus can increase risk of preterm labor

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified DNA variants in mothers and fetuses that appear to increase the risk for preterm labor and delivery.

4 Feb 2010

UTMB: Mother's exposure to BPA increases risks of asthma in her children

For years, scientists have warned of the possible negative health effects of bisphenol A, a chemical used to make everything from plastic water bottles and food packaging to sunglasses and CDs.

4 Feb 2010

New vaccine to prevent malaria infection shown promise to protect young children

A new vaccine to prevent the deadly malaria infection has shown promise to protect the most vulnerable patients - young children - against the disease, according to an international team of researchers led by the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) and the Malaria Research and Training Center at the University of Bamako in Mali, West Africa.

4 Feb 2010

New 3D scaffold for stem cell renewal

Medical researchers were shocked to discover that virtually all human embryonic stem cell lines being used in 2005 were contaminated. Animal byproducts used to line Petri dishes had left traces on the human cells. If those cells had been implanted in a human body they likely would have been rejected by the patient's immune system.

3 Feb 2010

Research opens new avenues for understanding genetic basis of type 2 diabetes

Together with colleagues in Barcelona, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have generated a complete map of the areas of the genome that control which genes are "turned on" or "off."

3 Feb 2010

Baker's yeast promising against cancer

A researcher at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science is investigating the potential use of non-pathogenic baker's yeast as a promising, natural therapy for cancer.

3 Feb 2010

MV vaccine prevents TB in people with HIV infection

Results from clinical trials conducted in Tanzania show that a new vaccine against tuberculosis, Mycobacterium vaccae (MV), is effective in preventing tuberculosis in people with HIV infection. Findings from the trials, which were conducted by investigators from Dartmouth Medical School in the United States, will be published in the next issue of AIDS, the leading journal in the field of HIV and AIDS research. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

3 Feb 2010

Scientists are getting closer to prove how cholesterol causes heart disease

By considering molecular-level events on a broader scale, researchers now have a clearer, if more complicated, picture of how one class of immune cells goes wrong when loaded with cholesterol. The findings reported in the February 3rd issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, show that, when it comes to the development of atherosclerosis and heart disease, it's not about any one bad actor-it's about a network gone awry.

3 Feb 2010

PATH to pay FDA $480,000 to speed creation of pneumococcal vaccine for developing world

The FDA on Monday said it's entering into a collaboration with the nonprofit group PATH "to speed creation of a pneumococcal vaccine for children in developing nations," United Press International reports (2/1).

3 Feb 2010

Compugen discovers CGEN-15001 protein for treatment of autoimmune disorders

Compugen Ltd. announced today the discovery and experimental validation of CGEN-15001 for the treatment of autoimmune disorders.

2 Feb 2010

Xiaflex receives FDA approval for treatment of Dupuytren's contracture

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Xiaflex (collagenase clostridium histolyticum) as the first drug to treat a progressive hand disease known as Dupuytren's contracture, which can affect a person's ability to straighten and properly use their fingers.

2 Feb 2010

RECOTHROM topical hemostat exhibits low rate of anti-product antibody formation

ZymoGenetics, Inc., today announced the publication of pooled safety and immunogenicity observations from eight clinical trials of RECOTHROM in the February issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. The authors concluded that RECOTHROM is a well-tolerated topical hemostatic agent in numerous surgical settings and has a low rate of anti-product antibody formation. In the pooled data from all trials, less than one percent of treated patients developed product-specific antibodies. None of the antibodies neutralized native coagulation proteins.

2 Feb 2010

Cytheris broadens patent protection for recombinant human interleukin-7

Cytheris SA, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on research and development of new therapies for immune modulation, today announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its patent application "Glycosylated IL-7, Preparation and Uses", US Patent Application Number 11/996,176. The Notice of Allowance is the USPTO’s official communication that the Company’s application has successfully completed examination and that a patent will be issued.

2 Feb 2010

Pandemic H1N1 influenza of swine origin has distinct means of transmission from seasonal flu

Current research suggests that pandemic H1N1 influenza of swine origin has distinct means of transmission from the seasonal flu, yet does not result in the pathogenic severity of avian flu viruses.

2 Feb 2010

Studies suggest potential therapeutic targets for food poisoning, TB and autoimmune diseases

Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered how the virulent food-borne bacteria Listeria monocytogenes induces infected immune cells to sabotage their own defensive response.

2 Feb 2010

FDA and PATH collaborate to advance pneumococcal vaccine development for children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced a collaboration with PATH to advance development of a vaccine to protect children against diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), especially pneumonia.

2 Feb 2010

FDA approves neurostimulation treatment for heart failure

The FDA recently approved the first study of neurostimulation as a treatment for heart failure, a chronic disease that affects nearly six million Americans and is the leading cause of hospitalization in America.

2 Feb 2010

Study could help in developing therapeutic strategies for Chikungunya virus infection

A study published online on February 1 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (www.jem.org) shows that antiviral proteins called type I interferons (IFNs) are needed to fend off infection with an exotic mosquito-borne virus called Chikungunya virus.

2 Feb 2010

Experimental vaccine reduced TB rate among HIV-positive people in Tanzania, Study finds

An experimental vaccine was found to reduce the rate of tuberculosis infections in patients living with HIV, "the first time a shot has been shown to reduce cases of the most common AIDS-related cause of death in poor nations," Bloomberg reports (Bennett, 1/29). Tuberculosis accounts for up to one-third of AIDS deaths worldwide, CBC News reports.

1 Feb 2010

Immune System News and Research

Mandatory flu shot program increases vaccination rate to more than 98% in BJC HealthCare

DNA variants in mother and fetus can increase risk of preterm labor

UTMB: Mother's exposure to BPA increases risks of asthma in her children

New vaccine to prevent malaria infection shown promise to protect young children

New 3D scaffold for stem cell renewal

Research opens new avenues for understanding genetic basis of type 2 diabetes

Baker's yeast promising against cancer

MV vaccine prevents TB in people with HIV infection

Scientists are getting closer to prove how cholesterol causes heart disease

PATH to pay FDA $480,000 to speed creation of pneumococcal vaccine for developing world

Compugen discovers CGEN-15001 protein for treatment of autoimmune disorders

Xiaflex receives FDA approval for treatment of Dupuytren's contracture

RECOTHROM topical hemostat exhibits low rate of anti-product antibody formation

Cytheris broadens patent protection for recombinant human interleukin-7

Pandemic H1N1 influenza of swine origin has distinct means of transmission from seasonal flu

Studies suggest potential therapeutic targets for food poisoning, TB and autoimmune diseases

FDA and PATH collaborate to advance pneumococcal vaccine development for children

FDA approves neurostimulation treatment for heart failure

Study could help in developing therapeutic strategies for Chikungunya virus infection

Experimental vaccine reduced TB rate among HIV-positive people in Tanzania, Study finds

Understanding the DNA Damage Response in Innate Immunity eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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