Immune System News and Research

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Discovery of key lupus gene

Wellcome Trust researchers have identified a key gene involved in the disease Lupus, which affects around 50,000 people in the UK, mostly women.

3 Dec 2007

Study of the post-transplant effects of alcohol use among lung donors

A recent study using an animal model of lung transplants shows that chronic alcohol consumption by the donor promotes scarring and airway injury after transplantation.

2 Dec 2007

Potential early warning system for lung cancer identified

The study, published in the journal Thorax, found that changes in the blood can be detected which signal the presence of lung cancer, and that these changes can be present years before outward symptoms become apparent.

29 Nov 2007

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines can improve the lives of HIV-infected children

An international team of experts has published the first comprehensive review of evidence on pneumococcal conjugate vaccination (PCV) for children with HIV infection.

29 Nov 2007

New anti-infective drug aims to fight drug-resistant bacteria at source

Deadly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus - MRSA - a bacterium that responds poorly to conventional antibiotic treatment, infects 90,000 Americans per year and causes 19,000 deaths, most in hospital settings.

29 Nov 2007

Discovery of link between moderate exercise and decreased inflammation of damaged skin tissue

In recent years, researchers at the University of Illinois have uncovered a host of reasons for people to remain physically active as they age, ranging from better brain function to improved immune responses.

29 Nov 2007

Eltrombopag studied in Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

There are estimated to be between 50,000 -- 100,000 individuals in the U.S. diagnosed with chronic Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), an autoimmune disease that dramatically reduces the number of platelets in their blood -- causing bruises, nosebleeds and, sometimes, life-threatening brain hemorrhages.

29 Nov 2007

Could stem cells be used to cure Crohn's Disease?

Scientists are investigating whether stem cells could be used to 're-boot' the immune system and provide a cure for Crohn's Disease.

29 Nov 2007

How cells communicate focus of new research

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have been awarded £5 million to investigate how cells respond to stimuli such as stress and UV radiation.

27 Nov 2007

Discovery of novel pathway to increased inflammation in diabetes patients

Researchers at UC Davis Health System have discovered a novel pathway that results in increased inflammation of blood vessels in patients with type 1 diabetes.

27 Nov 2007

Discovery of key acute myeloid leukemia gene

A gene called N-Myc leads a double life in certain white blood cells, helping to trigger a cancer called acute myeloid leukemia (AML) under some conditions while triggering apoptosis, or cell suicide, under other conditions, according to results of a mouse study done by investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

27 Nov 2007

Link between tooth infection and hair loss

There is a close relationship between infection outbreaks on teeth and the presence of alopecia areata or localized alopecia, a type of hair loss which has an unknown origin.

27 Nov 2007

Blood-vessel blocker aids cancer-killing virus

Cancer-killing viruses are a promising therapy for incurable brain tumors, but their effectiveness has been limited in part because immune cells rapidly move in and eliminate them.

27 Nov 2007

Alcohol may promote scarring and airway injury after transplantation

A recent study using an animal model of lung transplants shows that chronic alcohol consumption by the donor promotes scarring and airway injury after transplantation.

27 Nov 2007

Experimental gene therapy trial for arthritis allowed to resume

Trials in the U.S. of a controversial and experimental gene therapy have been given the green light to resume following the tragic death of a volunteer in July.

27 Nov 2007

Researchers transfer immune response to myeloma patient

Researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) have for the first time transferred an immune response in a healthy individual to a patient with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow, showing promise for cancer vaccination.

27 Nov 2007

Omega-3 fatty acids protect the brain against Parkinson's disease

Omega-3 fatty acids protect the brain against Parkinson's disease, according to a study by Université Laval researchers published in the online edition of the FASEB Journal, the journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

27 Nov 2007