Immune System News and Research

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HSMR helps identify sepsis as an area of concern for Canadian hospitals

A new study shows that in 2008-2009 more than 9,300 patients died of sepsis, a condition resulting from the body's response to severe infection, in Canadian hospitals outside Quebec.

11 Dec 2009

NIH awards $14.6M for Eukaryotic Pathogen Genome Database Resource expansion

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Georgia have been awarded a five-year, $14.6 million contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the US National Institutes of Health, to expand and extend work on the Eukaryotic Pathogen Genome Database Resource, http://EuPathDB.org.

11 Dec 2009

Nutritional supplements to strengthen immunity and improve periodontal health

The PA periodontists in Dr. David DiGiallorenzo's Collegeville and Williamsport practice recently began offering two lines of nutritional supplements to patients as a means of promoting the connection between good nutrition and improved periodontal health.

11 Dec 2009

Researchers find weakness in H1N1's method for evading detection by immune system

Researchers at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) have found what they believe is a weakness in H1N1's method for evading detection by the immune system.

11 Dec 2009

Stem cell therapy can be used for LSCD, reports newly published research

Newly published research, by investigators, at the North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI) in the journal Stem Cells reported the first successful treatment of eight patients with "Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency" (LSCD) using the patients' own stem cells without the need of suppressing their immunity.

11 Dec 2009

HST Global and HMD team up to develop curriculum for FIT protocol

HST Global, Inc. (OTCBB: HSTC) today announced a Partnership with Dr. James W. Forsythe to facilitate the development of a curriculum for the licensing and/or certification to administer Dr. Forsythe’s immune therapy in clinics to be built or acquired by HST Global, Inc.

11 Dec 2009

Initiation of multi-national Phase III study of Stimuvax announced

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announced the initiation of its multi-national Phase III study of the investigational therapeutic cancer vaccine Stimuvax® (BLP25 liposome vaccine) in Asian patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

11 Dec 2009

ARTs safe without routine lab tests, Lancet study finds

A Lancet study published online Tuesday validates the safety of administering first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) to patients with HIV without routine toxicity and efficacy lab tests, "[b]ut tests of immune-system function might still be a good idea to monitor the progression of the disease and guide the second year of treatment," HealthDay/U.S. News & World Report reports. Patients in Africa "often receive [HIV] drug treatment ... without routine laboratory monitoring," according to the article.

10 Dec 2009

Merck commences Stimuvax Phase 3 trial in Asian patients with NSCLC

Oncothyreon Inc. today announced that Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany, has initiated a Phase 3 trial of Stimuvax(R) (BLP25 liposome vaccine) in Asian patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The trial, named INSPIRE (Stimuvax trial In Asian NSCLC Patients: Stimulating Immune Response), is anticipated to enroll approximately 420 patients in China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan.

10 Dec 2009

Santa's top 10 holiday health tips

Santa Claus is coming to town - and Christmas eve is the one night that he must be healthy for his madcap, round-the-world dash. Like us, he's under quite a bit of stress this time of year. While we have crowded stores, visiting relatives, and lots of sugary treats that can strain our immune system, he has elves working feverishly round-the-clock, bickering reindeer, millions of letters to read, and frosty winter weather.

10 Dec 2009

Second-quarter fiscal 2010 results announced by Peregrine Pharmaceuticals

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2010 ended October 31, 2009. Total revenue for the second quarter of FY 2010 increased 255% to $6,896,000, compared to $1,941,000 for the comparable prior year quarter.

10 Dec 2009

Promising trial on immunotherapy for preventing childhood cancer recurrence

CHILDREN in the UK with a high risk form of the childhood cancer neuroblastoma are set to benefit from a new international clinical trial - funded by Cancer Research UK - which uses immunotherapy to help prevent the disease from coming back.

10 Dec 2009

Immune-based treatment promising for AD

The results of a new study on immune-based treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD), which was conducted at 30 sites around the country, will be published in the December 15 issue of Neurology®. Lead author, Stephen P. Salloway, MD, MS, director of the Butler Hospital Memory and Aging Program and a professor of neurology and psychiatry at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, says that this 18-month phase two study on slowing the disease process in Alzheimer's patients offers promising results.

10 Dec 2009

Social scientists say compassion is humans' strongest trait

Researchers at UC Berkeley are challenging long-held beliefs that human beings are wired to be selfish. In a wide range of studies, social scientists are amassing a growing body of evidence to show we are evolving to become more compassionate and collaborative in our quest to survive and thrive.

10 Dec 2009

Sanofi Pasteur expands dengue vaccine clinical program in Latin America

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group (EURONEXT: SAN and SNY), announced today the expansion of its dengue vaccine clinical program in Latin America with a new multicenter study in children and adolescent in Mexico, Colombia, Honduras and Puerto Rico. This new multicenter study complements an earlier study in Mexico and an ongoing study in Peru.

10 Dec 2009

JMC receives NIH grant to establish center of excellence for autoimmune diseases

The Department of Neurology at Jefferson Medical College (JMC) of Thomas Jefferson University has been awarded a multi-million dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the creation of a center of excellence to study autoimmune diseases from basic science research to its translation into clinical applications.

10 Dec 2009

New research suggests cancer drug may also help patients suffering from asthma

Scientists at the University of Edinburgh found that the drug - R-Roscovitine - helps to kill certain immune cells which can exacerbate symptoms associated with asthma.

10 Dec 2009

Preliminary study shows 'mini' stem cell transplantation may safely reverse severe sickle cell disease

Results of a preliminary study by scientists at the National Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins show that "mini" stem cell transplantation may safely reverse severe sickle cell disease in adults.

9 Dec 2009

NIH awards Lentigen a SBIR grant for program to generate Hepatitis C Virus-Like Particles

Lentigen Corporation, a biotechnology company specializing in the development and manufacture of lentiviral gene delivery technologies, announced today that it has received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) small business innovation research (SBIR) grant for a program on "A Novel Method of Generating Hepatitis C Virus-Like Particles using Lentivirus". In this program, Lentigen will collaborate with Epixis SA (Paris, France).

9 Dec 2009

Alternative, fast and safe process for producing large quantities of effective flu vaccines

A shortage of flu vaccines may soon become a problem of the past. Researcher Manon Cox has developed an alternative process for producing large quantities of safe and effective vaccines at twice to four times the usual speed. The process is based on using cells in bioreactors instead of fertilised chicken's eggs, which have a limited availability.

9 Dec 2009