Immune System News and Research

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Patients on immunosuppressant medication can receive H1N1 vaccine in the form of shots

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have classified all children, 6-months to 24-years, one of the high risk groups for contracting the H1N1 (swine) flu, and recommend this population receive the H1N1 vaccine for immunity against the disease.

30 Oct 2009

Scientists present new perspective on antigenic drift of flu viruses

Influenza viruses evade infection-fighting antibodies by constantly changing the shape of their major surface protein. This shape-shifting, called antigenic drift, is why influenza vaccines-which are designed to elicit antibodies matched to each year's circulating virus strains-must be reformulated annually.

30 Oct 2009

GPC establishes grants to expand knowledge about probiotics

Today, the success of the Young Investigator Grant for Probiotics Research (YIGPRO) program was confirmed with the announcement of two $50,000 grants that are available to rising young investigators in the field of probiotics. 2010 marks the third consecutive year for the grants. The grants were established by The Global Probiotics Council (GPC), a committee formed by DANONE and Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd., and are designed to contribute to the advancement of probiotics and gastrointestinal microbiota research in the United States.

30 Oct 2009

Viral protein could be a major player in SARS virulence

Ever since the previously unknown SARS virus emerged from southern China in 2003, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston virologists have focused on finding the source of the pathogen's virulence - its ability to cause disease. In the 2003 epidemic, for example, between 5 and 10 percent of those who fell sick from the SARS virus died, adding up to more than 900 fatalities worldwide.

30 Oct 2009

Helper T cell's effect raises possibility of cellular therapy and vaccine development

A specific type of T helper cell awakens the immune system to the stealthy threat of cancer and triggers an attack of killer T cells custom-made to destroy the tumors, scientists from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the early online edition of the journal Immunity.

30 Oct 2009

Risk of serious flu-related sickness far outpaces risk of injectable vaccine in pregnant women

Pregnant women who catch the flu are at serious risk for flu-related complications, including death, and that risk far outweighs the risk of possible side effects from injectable vaccines containing killed virus, according to an extensive review of published research and data from previous flu seasons.

30 Oct 2009

Research team reports advances in development of an effective therapy against the Nipah and Hendra virus

A collaborative research team from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL), and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports a major step forward in the development of an effective therapy against two deadly viruses, Nipah virus and the related Hendra virus.

30 Oct 2009

Studies demonstrate that investigational cancer vaccines show encouraging immune response rates

Results of two phase 1 studies demonstrate that the novel, investigational cancer vaccines MKC1106-MT and MKC1106-PP are well-tolerated and show encouraging immune response rates and objective tumor response in advanced melanoma, prostate cancer and other solid malignancies, setting the stage for phase 2 studies.

30 Oct 2009

New state-of-the-art biotechnology center opened on the West Coast

As part of its strategy to discover and develop more biotechnology medicines, Eli Lilly and Company today officially opened a new state-of-the-art biotechnology center on the West Coast.

30 Oct 2009

La Jolla Institute dedicates new Elam Discovery Wall and Type 1 Diabetes Center

The La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, an international leader in immunology research and San Diego's only research institute focused solely on immune-mediated diseases, today will dedicate its new Elam Discovery Wall and Type 1 Diabetes Center, which will focus on research into novel immunological-focused approaches to type 1 diabetes.

30 Oct 2009

UCSF scientists receive grants to advance stem cell based strategies for diabetes and brain tumors

Two teams of UCSF scientists have received grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to advance their stem cell based strategies for treating diabetes and brain tumors.

30 Oct 2009

TGen to secure emergency FDA approval for 2009 H1N1 flu test

The Phoenix-based non-profit Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) announced today that, along with a business collaborator, it will submit a request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use of a new test to diagnose the 2009 H1N1 swine flu virus.

30 Oct 2009

Absence of male hormones extends transplanted cell survival, says new study

Trophoblast stem cells (TSCs), cells found in the layer of peripheral embryonic stem cells from which the placenta is formed, are thought to exhibit "immune privilege" that aids cell survivability and is potentially beneficial for cell and gene therapies. Further, the survivability of TSCs has been thought to require the presence of ovarian hormones. However, none of these assumptions has ever been verified.

30 Oct 2009

Antiviral protein produced by immune system can tame HIV and other viruses, show researchers

Researchers have shown how an antiviral protein produced by the immune system, dubbed tetherin, tames HIV and other viruses by literally putting them on a leash, to prevent their escape from infected cells.

30 Oct 2009

Women more likely to suffer from adverse drug reactions than men; proactive approach may help reduce problems

Most people have taken a prescription medication at one time or another, but according to a report from the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in Rockville, Md., not only do women take more medications during their lifetimes, women are more likely to suffer from adverse drug events than men.

30 Oct 2009

Healthy eating tips for diabetics

A new case of diabetes strikes every 20 seconds. With nearly 24 million Americans of all ages affected by the disease and an additional 57 million at risk for diabetes, diabetes has reached epidemic proportions.(1) If current trends continue, one out of three children will live with diabetes sometime in their future.

30 Oct 2009

Risk of serious flu-related sickness far outpaces risk of injectable vaccine in pregnant women

30 Oct 2009

Positive results from Celldex Therapeutics' Phase 1 studies of CDX-1307 cancer vaccine candidate

Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. today announced positive results from Phase 1 studies of CDX-1307 in patients with advanced epithelial cancers, including breast, colon, bladder and pancreatic cancer.

29 Oct 2009

Genetic mutations may put individuals at increased risk for fungal infections

New research has identified two genetic mutations that may put individuals at increased risk for fungal infections. The research focused on patients with severe fungal infections (primarily of the genus Candida), but the findings may also have implications for patients who have more common mild infections.

29 Oct 2009

Sangamo BioSciences awarded a grant to develop zinc finger nuclease-based stem cell therapy for AIDS

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. announced today that the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has granted a $14.5 million Disease Team Research Award to develop an AIDS-related lymphoma therapy based on the application of its zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) gene-editing technology in stem cells.

29 Oct 2009

Immune System News and Research

Patients on immunosuppressant medication can receive H1N1 vaccine in the form of shots

Scientists present new perspective on antigenic drift of flu viruses

GPC establishes grants to expand knowledge about probiotics

Viral protein could be a major player in SARS virulence

Helper T cell's effect raises possibility of cellular therapy and vaccine development

Risk of serious flu-related sickness far outpaces risk of injectable vaccine in pregnant women

Research team reports advances in development of an effective therapy against the Nipah and Hendra virus

Studies demonstrate that investigational cancer vaccines show encouraging immune response rates

New state-of-the-art biotechnology center opened on the West Coast

La Jolla Institute dedicates new Elam Discovery Wall and Type 1 Diabetes Center

UCSF scientists receive grants to advance stem cell based strategies for diabetes and brain tumors

TGen to secure emergency FDA approval for 2009 H1N1 flu test

Absence of male hormones extends transplanted cell survival, says new study

Antiviral protein produced by immune system can tame HIV and other viruses, show researchers

Women more likely to suffer from adverse drug reactions than men; proactive approach may help reduce problems

Healthy eating tips for diabetics

Risk of serious flu-related sickness far outpaces risk of injectable vaccine in pregnant women

Positive results from Celldex Therapeutics' Phase 1 studies of CDX-1307 cancer vaccine candidate

Genetic mutations may put individuals at increased risk for fungal infections

Sangamo BioSciences awarded a grant to develop zinc finger nuclease-based stem cell therapy for AIDS

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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