Immune System News and Research

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Medical center leaders celebrate BRTI's 25th anniversary

Considered a highly risky and controversial medical procedure only 25 years ago, solid organ transplantation is now a life-saving mainstream operation thanks to the extraordinary men and women who gathered at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas on Nov. 11.

24 Nov 2009

Vitamin D: A multi-purpose nutrient for overall health

A string of recent discoveries about the multiple health benefits of vitamin D has renewed interest in this multi-purpose nutrient, increased awareness of the huge numbers of people who are deficient in it, spurred research and even led to an appreciation of it as "nature's antibiotic."

24 Nov 2009

Research suggests common oral bacterium may exacerbate autoimmune disease

Current research suggests that a common oral bacterium may exacerbate autoimmune disease. The related report by Nichols et al, "Unique Lipids from a Common Human Bacterium Represent a New Class of TLR2 Ligands Capable of Enhancing Autoimmunity," appears in the December 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology.

23 Nov 2009

C3a peptide regulates the generation of new nerve cells in the brain: Study

The generation of new nerve cells in the brain is regulated by a peptide known as C3a, which directly affects the stem cells' maturation into nerve cells and is also important for the migration of new nerve cells through the brain tissue, reveals new research from the Sahlgrenska Academy published in the journal Stem Cells.

23 Nov 2009

UT Southwestern Medical Center among 10 institutions to share $56 million from NIH as part of ICAC

UT Southwestern Medical Center is among 10 institutions selected by the National Institutes of Health to share $56 million over five years as part of the Inner City Asthma Consortium (ICAC).

23 Nov 2009

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center receives $10 million to advance biomedical research

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has received a pledge of $10 million to advance the promising field of immunotherapy research to treat and cure cancer, even in late stages.

23 Nov 2009

Initiation of Phase I/IIa clinical trial of IL-7 announced

Cytheris SA, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on research and development of new therapies for immune modulation, today announced the initiation of a Phase I/IIa clinical trial of IL-7 in support of tumor lysate/KLH pulsed dendritic cell vaccines in a pilot study of tumor vaccination in patients with metastatic or recurrent pediatric solid tumors and altered T cell homeostasis, including patients with Ewing’s sarcoma family of tumors (ESFT), rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma, synovial cell sarcoma, desmoplastic small round cell tumor, undifferentiated sarcoma, and embryonal sarcoma.

23 Nov 2009

UT Southwestern Medical Center receives NIH funds for asthma research

UT Southwestern Medical Center is among 10 institutions selected by the National Institutes of Health to share $56 million over five years as part of the Inner City Asthma Consortium (ICAC).

23 Nov 2009

Gene deletion can increase common complication of bone marrow transplants

A commonly inherited gene deletion can increase the likelihood of immune complications following bone marrow transplantation, an international team of researchers reports in the November 22 advance online issue of Nature Genetics.

23 Nov 2009

Experiments explain factors behind common malarial symptoms

When people have malaria, they are infected with Plasmodium parasites, which enter the body from the saliva of a mosquito, infect cells in the liver, and then spread to red blood cells. Inside the blood cells, the parasites replicate and also begin to expose adhesive proteins on the cell surface that change the physical nature of the cells in the bloodstream.

23 Nov 2009

Scientists discover new potential target for treating non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Physician-scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered a molecular mechanism that may prove to be a powerful target for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects lymphocytes, or white blood cells. By exploiting this mechanism, researchers have been able to powerfully suppress tumor formation in lab testing and in animal models.

22 Nov 2009

Bacteria help in preventing inflammation after skin injury

On the skin's surface, bacteria are abundant, diverse and constant, but inflammation is undesirable. Research at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine now shows that the normal bacteria living on the skin surface trigger a pathway that prevents excessive inflammation after injury.

22 Nov 2009

Discovery holds promise in fighting cancer, AIDS and autoimmune disorders

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have uncovered the genetic identity of a cellular receptor for the immune system's first-response antibody, a discovery that sheds new light on infection control and immune disorders.

21 Nov 2009

USGS researchers examine PAHs and PCBs sources in urban environment

Toxic dust: Toxins in coal-tar-based sealcoats in parking lots may be the culprit in contaminated house dust, according to a USGS study. PAHs - or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons - are large molecules found in oil, coal and tar deposits, and can have toxic effects.

21 Nov 2009

Pennsylvania Department of Health commences H1N1 vaccination to members of priority groups

The Department of Health today began providing free H1N1 flu shots to members of priority groups that did not have previous access to the vaccine.

21 Nov 2009

First nationwide human immunology registry for infectious disease research

RemedyMD (www.RemedyMD.com), the leading provider of disease registry software, today announced the first nationwide human immunology registry for infectious disease research. The new registry was developed to help clinicians and researchers better understand the human immune response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.

21 Nov 2009

20th anniversary of the international Convention on the Rights of the Child today

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the international Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the United Nations on November 20, 1989. The CHU Sainte-Justine and The Montreal Children's Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre are joining forces to highlight the importance of this day, a reminder of the many injustices committed against children around the world.

20 Nov 2009

Inovio Biomedical announces positive test results of its consensus influenza vaccines

Inovio Biomedical Corporation, a leader in DNA vaccine design, development and delivery, announced today that a combination of its synthetic consensus H1N1, H2N2, H3N2, and H5N1 influenza vaccine candidates achieved protective antibody responses against several different influenza sub-types and strains in ferrets.

20 Nov 2009

Discovery of Th22 cells may help in developing effective therapies for chronic skin and respiratory diseases

The newly discovered Th22 cells are a previously unknown subset of T helper cells. T helper cells are white blood cells that help activate other immune cells when the body is infected by viruses or bacteria. At the same time they help the body to tolerate own tissue and to prevent or curb inflammation.

20 Nov 2009

I-STEM team succeeds in recreating a whole epidermis from hES cells

Stem cell research is making great strides. This is yet again illustrated by a study carried out by the I-STEM Institute (I-STEM/ Inserm UEVE U861/AFM), published in the Lancet on 21 November 2009. The I-STEM team, directed by Marc Peschanski has just succeeded in recreating a whole epidermis from human embryonic stem cells.

20 Nov 2009