Immune System News and Research

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Scientists identify lab-made proteins that neutralize multiple strains of seasonal and pandemic flu

Scientists have identified a small family of lab-made proteins that neutralize a broad range of influenza A viruses, including the H5N1 avian virus, the 1918 pandemic influenza virus and seasonal H1N1 flu viruses.

22 Feb 2009

Gene therapy shows potential against HIV

A new UCLA AIDS Institute study has found that gene therapy can be developed as a safe and active technique to combat HIV.

22 Feb 2009

Meningitis bacteria dress up as human cells to evade our immune system

The way in which bacteria that cause bacterial meningitis mimic human cells to evade the body's innate immune system has been revealed by researchers at the University of Oxford and Imperial College London.

20 Feb 2009

FDA issues warning on psoriasis drug Raptiva (efalizumab)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a public health advisory concerning three confirmed, and one possible report of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare brain infection, in patients using the psoriasis drug Raptiva (efalizumab).

20 Feb 2009

New understanding on how inflammatory disease causes fatigue

New animal research in the February 18 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience may indicate how certain diseases make people feel so tired and listless.

18 Feb 2009

FDA clears new immune response claim for CryoValve SG pulmonary human heart valve

CryoLife, Inc. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared a new claim for the CryoValve(R) SG pulmonary human heart valve.

18 Feb 2009

A potential marker of increased histological activity in hepatitis C virus infection

Early, vigorous and sustained lymphocyte proliferative responses specific to hepatitis C virus (HCV) have been regarded as pivotal for viral clearance.

18 Feb 2009

Newly discovered mutation can hold the key to treat a large number of different cancers

Scientists have discovered a mutation responsible for cancer progression, a finding with potential implications for the development of treatment against not one, but a series of cancer types since this mutation can be linked to an abnormality recently discovered to exist in all malignancies.

18 Feb 2009

Researchers show how immune system reacts to a hepatitis B infection

Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre in Braunschweig demonstrate how the immune system reacts to a hepatitis B infection.

17 Feb 2009

Braconid parasite wasps have practiced gene therapy for a hundred million years

Braconid parasite wasps and their caterpillar hosts form a unique host-parasite model: the wasps lay their eggs inside the caterpillars and simultaneously inject some viral particles to get around the host's defenses and control its physiology.

17 Feb 2009

Good bacteria may provide effective vehicle for an oral vaccine against anthrax

Researchers at North Carolina State University have discovered that the good bacteria found in dairy products and linked to positive health benefits in the human body might also be an effective vehicle for an oral vaccine that can provide immunity to anthrax exposure.

17 Feb 2009

Dendritic cells as a new player in arteries and heart valves

In 1973, Ralph M. Steinman launched a new scientific discipline when he published his discovery of the dendritic cell, an odd-shaped player in the immune system.

16 Feb 2009

Boosting its infectivity turns benign virus into good gene therapy carrier for cystic fibrosis

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Iowa have turned a relatively benign virus into a highly infectious form that is ideal as a carrier for gene therapy.

16 Feb 2009

HPV vaccine does not increase the risk of developing Guillain-Barré syndrome

The HPV vaccine does not increase the risk of developing Guillain-Barré syndrome, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle, April 25 to May 2, 2009.

16 Feb 2009

Radioimmunotherapy shows promise for HIV infection and viral cancers

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have piggybacked antibodies onto radioactive payloads to deliver doses of radiation that selectively target and destroy microbial and HIV-infected cells.

16 Feb 2009

Mouse model mimics hyperglycemia, aids in diabetes research

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have genetically engineered a laboratory mouse in which pancreatic beta cells can regenerate after being induced to die.

16 Feb 2009

First immune danger receptor' found

Cancer Research UK scientists have found the first biological receptor that alerts the immune system to 'dangerous' or abnormal cell death, according to research published in Nature.

16 Feb 2009

New device decreases wait times for patients needing immunotherapy

Researchers from the Children's Cancer Hospital at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have created a device that significantly decreases the time needed to produce genetically manipulated T cells in preclinical tests for leukemia.

16 Feb 2009

New approaches to prevent transplant rejection

To prevent the rejection of newly transplanted organs and cells, patients must take medicines that weaken their entire immune systems.

15 Feb 2009

Statistical analysis could yield new drug target for multiple sclerosis

An elaborate statistical analysis of genes from more than 7,000 individuals has identified an amino acid that appears to be a major risk factor for multiple sclerosis, a devastating autoimmune disorder that afflicts 2.5 million people worldwide.

15 Feb 2009