Natural Killer Cells News and Research

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Cells in immune system react to stomach ulcer bacterium Helicobacter pylori, identify researchers

Researchers have identified cells in the immune system that react to the stomach ulcer bacterium Helicobacter pylori, one of the risk factors for the development of stomach cancer. This discovery could lead to faster diagnosis and treatment as well as a better prognosis for patients with stomach cancer, reveals a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

28 Jun 2010

Tolerx presents preclinical data on TRX518 anti-GITR immunotherapy for cancer

Tolerx, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies to treat autoimmune diseases and cancer by modulating T cell activity, presented results from preclinical studies with TRX518, an early-stage agent Tolerx is developing as a treatment for cancer. TRX518 is a monoclonal antibody to glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor (GITR) and is designed to enhance the immune system's ability to attack tumors by activating and rendering T effector cells resistant to T regulatory cell suppression.

28 Jun 2010

Reprogrammed killer cells prevent metastasis

A team of researchers has developed a method to produce cells that kill tumour cells in the lab and prevent tumours forming in mouse models of cancer. Although the current work is in cells and mouse, if the research transfers to human biology, the new type of cell could be a new source for cell-based anticancer therapies.

11 Jun 2010

Psychological intervention program teaches breast cancer patients how to cope with the disease

A psychological intervention program designed for breast cancer patients reduces the risk of dying if the cancer recurs, new research shows. The study is the latest in a series at Ohio State University that have shown that an intervention program that teaches patients how to cope with the disease can boost their health, well-being and even their chances of survival.

9 Jun 2010

EpiCept provides update on post-approval commitments requested by EMA for Ceplene

EpiCept Corporation today provided an update on the post-approval commitments requested by the European Medicines Agency as part of its marketing authorization for Ceplene (histamine dihydrochloride). Ceplene is approved in the EU for remission maintenance and prevention of relapse in adults with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in first complete remission.

1 Jun 2010

Patients with transformed lymphoma show positive response to lenalidomide: Research

New research illustrates that some patients with transformed lymphoma showed "remarkable" response to lenalidomide, an oral drug with few side effects.

27 May 2010

Biogen Idec, Abbott commence enrollment in Phase III comparative study of daclizumab to AVONEX for RRMS

Biogen Idec and Abbott today announced enrollment of the first patient in a global Phase III study evaluating the efficacy and safety of daclizumab compared to interferon beta-1a (AVONEX®) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), the most common form of multiple sclerosis (MS).

25 May 2010

New therapy program serves as foundation for ongoing clinical development

The researchers of the University of Helsinki, and Oncos Therapeutics, the biotech company developing new cancer therapeutics based on the next generation oncolytic viruses, published initial results from their Advanced Therapy Access Program in Cancer Research.

21 May 2010

Laughter increases production of antibodies and activates body's protective cells

Laughter is a highly complex process. Joyous or mirthful laughter is considered a positive stress (eustress) that involves complicated brain activities leading to a positive effect on health. Norman Cousins first suggested the idea that humor and the associated laughter can benefit a person's health in the 1970s. His ground-breaking work, as a layperson diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, documented his use of laughter in treating himself—with medical approval and oversight—into remission.

27 Apr 2010

Myths and facts about pediatric cancer

"Your child has cancer." They are words every parent can't imagine hearing.

24 Apr 2010

New data on Cladribine Tablets presented at AAN annual meeting

EMD Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announced that new data providing further understanding on Cladribine Tablets as a potential new therapeutic option for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis were presented at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

17 Apr 2010

Overcoming resistance - new options for the treatment of ovarian cancer

Research on the development of a new therapeutic agent for the treatment of particularly aggressive ovarian cancer has produced some very promising initial findings. In laboratory tests, scientists have succeeded in reducing the resistance of the tumour cells to a natural resistance mechanism with the help of a monoclonal antibody. The results of this project, which was funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, have just been published. The project also succeeded in establishing a hitherto unknown connection between so-called "natural killer cells" and the regulated death of cancer cells.

12 Apr 2010

Harnessing body's own natural killer cells to battle cancer in children

Work underway at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital seeks to harnesses the body's own immune cells known as natural killer, or NK, cells to help children battle cancer. NK cells are the immune system's warriors. The cells circulate widely in the body, armed with proteins, called enzymes, capable of delivering a deadly one-two punch to viruses and cancer cells.

3 Apr 2010

Study shows NK cells use bungee-like nanotube to destroy dangerous cells

Immune cells ensnare dangerous cells that are on the run with a bungee-like nanotube, according to research published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study, by researchers from Imperial College London, shows that natural killer (NK) cells use this bungee to destroy cells that could otherwise escape them.

9 Mar 2010

LGL awards first three grants from POC fund for research in immunotherapy, schizophrenia and heart disease

London Genetics Limited, an expert in the use of pharmacogenetics in clinical drug discovery and development, has awarded the first three grants from its proof-of-concept (POC) fund. The awards, to teams at Imperial College London and University College London, are for research in the areas of immunotherapy, schizophrenia and heart disease.

25 Feb 2010

Adding daclizumab to standard treatment reduces enlarged brain lesions in patients with relapsing MS

An international team of researchers has found that adding a humanized monoclonal antibody called daclizumab to standard treatment reduces the number of new or enlarged brain lesions in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis. This new study was published online Feb. 16, 2010, and in the March edition of the Lancet Neurology.

17 Feb 2010

Level of key immune cells in kidney transplant patients may predict risk of skin cancer

Measuring certain types of immune cells may predict the high risk of skin cancer after kidney transplantation, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN).

29 Jan 2010

Gene's role in immune system may suggest new treatments for childhood asthma

Pediatric researchers have identified a novel gene involved in childhood asthma, in one of the largest gene studies to date of the common respiratory disease. Because the gene, called DENND1B, affects cells and signaling molecules thought to be instrumental in the immune system overreaction that occurs in asthma, the discovery may have singled out an important target for new treatments.

23 Dec 2009

Older adults face higher risk of hospitalization for pneumonia when exposed to pollution

Older adults with long-term exposure to higher levels of pollution are at higher risk for hospitalization for pneumonia, according to researchers in Canada.