Immune System News and Research

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Scientists find new mechanism by which brain cells can be damaged during chronic neurodegenerative diseases

Scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center have targeted a new culprit and method of attack on neurologic functions in diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia associated with HIV.

7 Nov 2005

Tryptophan metabolites play an important role in the immune system

Tryptophan is the source of Thanksgiving legend and grist for a "Seinfeld" episode, but it's not the chemical that you'd expect to find in Lawrence Steinman's lab.

7 Nov 2005

Vaccine that targets nicotine rather than the brain's reaction to it

Since smoking became popular in America in the 1930s, lung cancer rates have continued to climb. Today, it is still the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with totals more than the other five leading cancers combined.

3 Nov 2005

Targeted drug delivery now possible using nanoparticle-apatamer conjugates

Ground-breaking results from researchers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, disclosed at the 13th European Cancer Conference (ECCO) have shown for the first time that targeted drug delivery is possible using nanoparticle-apatamer conjugates.

3 Nov 2005

Withdrawn MS drug works for Crohn's sufferers

Researchers say that a multiple sclerosis drug that was withdrawn from the market for safety reasons, has shown some effectiveness against the painful bowel disorder Crohn's disease.

3 Nov 2005

Cancer Vaccine - Synthetically generated glycopeptides from tumor cells can stimulate the formation of specific antibodies

Tumor cells and healthy somatic cells differ in the structures on their surfaces. In principle, it should thus be possible to develop a vaccine that causes a patient’s immune system to form antibodies that attack and destroy tumor cells while sparing healthy cells.

3 Nov 2005

Updated vaccine against cervical cancer provides longer sustainable response

Drug company GlaxoSmithKline says that it's updated vaccine against the human papillomavirus (HPV), has produced a stronger immune response, than the original formula of the vaccine.

2 Nov 2005

Targeted drug delivery achieved with nanoparticle-aptamer bioconjugates

Ground-breaking results from researchers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, disclosed at the 13th European Cancer Conference (ECCO) in Paris have shown for the first time that targeted drug delivery is possible using nanoparticle-apatamer conjugates.

1 Nov 2005

New way to generate genetically altered influenza virus

In the event of an influenza pandemic, the world's vaccine manufacturers will be in a race against time to forestall calamity.

1 Nov 2005

Dendritic cells tricked into action against cancer

A new type of immunotherapy in which dendritic cells are tricked into action against cancer when they are exposed to harmless pieces of viruses and bacteria is described in the November issue of Cancer Research.

1 Nov 2005

Reagent under study as cancer vaccine may also help protect tumors

A bacterial mimic under study as a cancer vaccine because it signals the immune system to attack may also help some tumors hide, researchers have found.

1 Nov 2005

EphA2 represents a promising treatment target for glioblastoma multiforme

Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have identified a second promising treatment target for glioblastoma multiforme, one of the most deadly types of brain tumors. The research results are reported in the October issue of Molecular Cancer Research.

1 Nov 2005

Paclitaxel may help treat scleroderma

Using a novel model for scleroderma, researchers from Duke University Medical Center have discovered two important insights into this devastating disorder - the anti-cancer drug paclitaxel (Taxol) may prevent the skin thickening and small blood vessel destruction that characterizes the disease.

1 Nov 2005

iNOS inhibitors may be effective therapies for Alzheimer's disease

A noxious gas speeds up brain degeneration in Alzheimer's disease, according to a study in the November 7 issue of The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

1 Nov 2005

Unique approach to enhance the immune system in patients with breast or colorectal cancer

The study uses a potent immune-enhancing gene delivered directly into the cancer cells to make them look foreign to the body's immune system, which will then attack and destroy the cancer.

1 Nov 2005

Better understanding of T cell response

Swedish and U.K. researchers report that an apparently "acute" human viral infection can cause a persistent, activated CD8+ T cell response a long time after patients have recovered.

1 Nov 2005

Morphine withdrawal enhances hepatitis C virus (HCV) replicon expression

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have demonstrated that morphine withdrawal complicates hepatitis C by suppressing IFN-alpha-mediated immunity and enhancing virus replication.

30 Oct 2005

Researchers can now more accurately predict who will develop type 1 diabetes

In the process, they've also uncovered signs of a new protein that may forecast a more rapidly developing form of the disease. Together, these findings could help researchers screen patients for clinical trials that eventually may lead to a vaccine or cure for type 1 diabetes.

30 Oct 2005

HapMap will give clues to many common diseases

Researchers say that they have completed a map that charts patterns of human genetic variation in the world population, to better understand human biology, evolution and how to diagnose diseases.

27 Oct 2005