Immune System News and Research

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Discovery of new genetic markers for ulcerative colitis

An international team led by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers has identified genetic markers associated with risk for ulcerative colitis.

5 Jan 2009

Inherited factors play key role in breast cancer

New research in mice and five independent collections of human breast tumors has enabled National Cancer Institute (NCI) scientists to confirm that genes for factors contributing to susceptibility for breast cancer metastasis can be inherited.

5 Jan 2009

Researchers engineer pancreatic cell transplants to evade immune response

In a finding that could significantly influence the way type 1 diabetes is treated, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have developed a technique for transplanting insulin-producing pancreatic cells that causes only a minimal immune response in recipients.

1 Jan 2009

MRSA pre-screening effective in reducing otolaryngic surgical infection rates

Pre-operative screening of patients for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) may be an effective way to reduce infection rates following otolaryngic surgeries, according to new research published in the January 2009 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

1 Jan 2009

Lung cancer cells activate inflammation to induce metastasis

A research team from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has identified a protein produced by cancerous lung epithelial cells that enhances metastasis by stimulating the activity of inflammatory cells.

1 Jan 2009

Brits battling to cope with 'killer' Australian flu strain

As doctors and hospitals in the UK struggle to deal with a flu epidemic, Brits are being warned that the current outbreak is expected to intensify in the new year as the potentially fatal Australian strain of influenza spreads across the country.

30 Dec 2008

May hepatic granulomas be part of the histological spectrum of chronic hepatitis C?

While older large series of patients with hepatic granulomas have found sarcoidosis and tuberculosis to be the most common causes of hepatic granulomas, recent works have noted some patients with chronic hepatic C and hepatic granulomas and no other obvious associations.

30 Dec 2008

New therapy for transplant rejection

Researchers in the U.S. have discovered a new cancer drug which effectively treats transplant rejections.

29 Dec 2008

Man dies from flesh-eating disease

A rare flesh-eating disease has claimed the life of a man in Britain. The 60 year old man Tony Williamson died days after a flesh-eating disease spread through his body from a small cut on the inside of his right arm.

28 Dec 2008

Immunogenicity and safety of human papillomavirus vaccine in healthy boys

New industry-supported research from Finland suggests that Cervarix, an HPV vaccine given to girls in Europe and elsewhere, is safe for boys as well.

21 Dec 2008

FDA issues complete response to biologics license application for ustekinumab

Centocor, Inc., has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Complete Response letter for its Biologics License Application (BLA) for ustekinumab.

21 Dec 2008

World-first technique used to repair an injured donor lung

For the first time in the world, transplant surgeons at Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network used a new technique to repair an injured donor lung that was unsuitable for transplant, and then successfully transplanted it into a patient.

21 Dec 2008

Stem cells and leukemia battle for marrow microenvironment

Learning how leukemia takes over privileged "niches" within the bone marrow is helping researchers develop treatment strategies that could protect healthy blood-forming stem cells and improve the outcomes of bone marrow transplantation for leukemia and other types of cancer.

18 Dec 2008

Prozac enhances effectiveness of anti-cancer drug

Prozac is regularly prescribed to ease the emotional pain of patients who are being treated for cancer.

18 Dec 2008

Updated guidelines for irritable bowel syndrome

Although irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common disease diagnosed by gastroenterologists, it's also one of the most misunderstood.

18 Dec 2008

Merck KGaA acquires manufacturing rights for Stimuvax from Oncothyreon

Oncothyreon Inc. announced today that Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany has licensed the right to manufacture Stimuvax and, through its affiliate EMD Serono Canada Inc., purchased current inventory and certain assets utilized for the manufacture of Stimuvax from Oncothyreon for consideration which includes net payments to Oncothyreon totaling approximately U.S. $13 million.

18 Dec 2008

Trial tests adult stems cells to treat congestive heart failure

The University of California, San Diego Medical Center is the first hospital in California to enroll patients in a multi-center clinical trial, sponsored by Angioblast Systems Inc., to examine the safety and feasibility of administering adult stems cells to treat congestive heart failure.

18 Dec 2008

Blocking mechanism found for antibiotic resistance in bacteria

It's as simple as A, T, G, C. Northwestern University scientists have exploited the Watson-Crick base pairing of DNA to provide a defensive tool that could be used to fight the spread of antibiotic resistance in bacteria -- one of the world's most pressing public health problems.

18 Dec 2008

Research highlights recognized disease risks associated with vitamin D deficiency

Once believed to be important only for bone health, vitamin D is now seen as having a critical function in maintaining the immune system throughout life.

17 Dec 2008

Surgeons perform first simultaneous double-lung, kidney transplant in Illinois, Wisconsin

Eric McCabe of Wausau, Wis., had no earth-shaking plans for the future as he began his recovery from the rare double-lung and kidney transplant surgery he had at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill.

17 Dec 2008