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GBS pathogen suppresses immune cell function in newborn infants: Research

Group B Streptococcus (GBS), a bacterial pathogen that causes sepsis and meningitis in newborn infants, is able to shut down immune cell function in order to promote its own survival, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

27 Sep 2010

Research marks new direction to treat Pneumocystis, inflammatory diseases

A drug to treat inflammation plays a surprising role reducing the level of infection caused by an opportunistic bug that is deadly for AIDS and cancer patients and others with weakened immune systems.

20 Aug 2010

Indispensable role of Mindin in innate and adaptive immunity

Mindin has an indispensable role in both innate and adaptive immunity. A research group in China investigated regulation of mindin expression and the signaling pathway involved. mRNA expression of mindin was upregulated during dextran sulfate sodium induced mouse intestinal inflammation. Stimulation with CpG-ODN (a known TLR-9 ligand) induced upregulation of mindin expression in RAW 264.7 cells and significantly increased the NF-κB-luciferase activity in vitro.

31 Mar 2010

CytoDyn commences full humanization of Cytolin immune therapy for treating HIV/AIDS

CytoDyn, Inc. has begun full humanization of Cytolin®, the Company’s unique immune therapy for treating HIV/AIDS. Although a murine (mouse) version of Cytolin® was used for previous human experience that included some 200 patients successfully treated for up to two years, as well as an encouraging Phase I(b)/II(a) study, the Company believes that a fully-humanized version is necessary for the clinical trial that is expected to follow the current one (described at http://clinicaltrials.gov) for the reasons explained below.

17 Mar 2010

Nitric oxide may play key role in the pathogenesis of neonatal meningitis

Current research suggests that nitric oxide may play a role in the pathogenesis of neonatal meningitis. The related report by Mittal et al, "Inhibition of inducible nitric oxide controls pathogen load and brain damage by enhancing phagocytosis of Escherichia coli K1 in neonatal meningitis," appears in the March 2010 issue of The American Journal of Pathology.

24 Feb 2010

Baker's yeast promising against cancer

A researcher at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science is investigating the potential use of non-pathogenic baker's yeast as a promising, natural therapy for cancer.

3 Feb 2010

Doctoral candidate sheds new light on the biology of Leishmania parasites

Professor Albert Descoteaux's team at Centre INRS - Institut Armand-Frappier has gained a better understanding of how the Leishmania donovani parasite manages to outsmart the human immune system and proliferate with impunity, causing visceral leishmaniasis, a chronic infection that is potentially fatal if left untreated.

24 Oct 2009

Brain inflammation not linked to Alzheimer's disease

In a surprising reversal of long-standing scientific belief, researchers at the Mayo Clinic campus in Florida have discovered that inflammation in the brain is not the trigger that leads to buildup of amyloid deposits and development of Alzheimer's disease.

23 Oct 2009

PIKAMAB obtains U.S. patent rights to develop theragnostic product

PIKAMAB, a stratified medicine biopharmaceutical company, announced today that it has secured exclusive rights to two issued U.S. patents from Hospital for Special Surgery, New York. PIKAMAB is developing Lupus TherasightTM, a novel theragnostic product that will eventually help guide the drug development process and patient treatment protocols in the areas of lupus and lupus nephritis.

15 Oct 2009

Pathogenic microbes can suppress immune system in newborns

2 Sep 2009

Gene therapy for retinitis pigmentosa

An international team of scientists and clinicians from the United States and Saudi Arabia are working to develop gene therapy for treating a rare, hereditary retinal disease.

31 Jul 2009

Xencor and CSL Limited establish antibody optimization collaboration

Xencor, Inc., an antibody discovery and development company, announced today that it has entered into an antibody optimization collaboration with CSL, Ltd. The collaboration will provide CSL with access to Xencor's XmAb technology platform to enhance the ADCC effector function of its therapeutic antibodies.

23 Feb 2009

Helicobacter pylori can multiply in autophagic vesicles

Helicobacter pylori , a Gram-negative, flagellated, microaerophilic bacterium, can selectively colonize in the human stomach.

29 Jan 2009

Research suggests that immunity is stronger at night

The immune system's battle against invading bacteria reaches its peak activity at night and is lowest during the day.

14 Dec 2008

Xencor presents data on anti-CD19 and anti-CD40 antibodies

Xencor, Inc. presented results Sunday at the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology from pre-clinical studies evaluating XmAb 5574, a monoclonal antibody engineered using Xencor's XmAb Fc technologies that targets the antigen CD19.

10 Dec 2008

Proteomics provides clues to how tuberculosis thwarts the immune system

A link between the immune system and the self-cleaning system by which biological cells rid themselves of obsolete or toxic parts may one day yield new weapons in the fight against tuberculosis and other deadly infectious diseases.

6 Nov 2008

Multiple sclerosis patients have higher spinal fluid levels of suspicious immune molecule

A protein that helps keep immune cells quiet is more abundant in the spinal fluid of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), further boosting suspicion that the protein, TREM-2, may be an important contributor to the disease.

29 Sep 2008

Turning off rogue macrophages

University of Pennsylvania scientists studying macrophages, the biological cells that spring from white blood cells to eat and destroy foreign or dying cells, have discovered how these "policemen" differentiate between friend and foe.

12 Mar 2008

Direct pathways between extracellular material and cell nuclei discovered

A team of Brooklyn College researchers has shattered a long-held belief that no direct pathway exists between material outside of a cell and the cell nucleus.

13 Aug 2007

Neuroprotectin D1 protects retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells

Two papers to be published in the Early Edition online of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) the week of July 30-August 3, 2007 report findings that demonstrate that neuroprotectin D1 (NPD1) protects against damage to retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and identifies an important trigger for its production and novel molecular mechanisms that support vision.

1 Aug 2007