Autoimmunity News and Research

RSS

Autoimmune Disease is a condition in which the body recognizes its own tissues as foreign and directs an immune response against them.

TSRI researchers find interferon beta protein as prime suspect in persistent viral infections

Interferon proteins are normally considered virus-fighters, but scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found evidence that one of them, interferon beta (IFNβ), has an immune-suppressing effect that can help some viruses establish persistent infections.

14 May 2015

Major breakthrough in understanding development of type 1 diabetes

Joslin researchers have uncovered the action of a gene that regulates the education of T cells, providing insight into how and why the immune system begins mistaking the body's own tissues for targets. The gene, Clec16a, is one of a suite of genes associated with multiple autoimmune disorders, suggesting it is fundamental to the development of autoimmunity.

13 May 2015

Australian researchers discover rogue germinal centre B cells that trigger autoimmune disease

Australian researchers believe they have discovered a group of cells that trigger autoimmune disease, as well as the molecular 'trigger guard' that normally holds them in check.

13 May 2015

TxCell presents preclinical efficacy and tolerability data for Col-Treg at 2015 ARVO Annual Meeting

TxCell SA, a biotechnology company developing innovative, personalized T-cell immunotherapies using antigen specific regulatory T-cells (Ag-Tregs) for severe chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, today announces that activity and tolerance data for its second lead product Col-Treg were presented through a poster presentation at the 2015 ARVO Annual Meeting, May 3-7, 2015, in Denver, Colorado, US.

5 May 2015

New T1D Prevention Initiative launched to identify pathways to prevent type 1 diabetes

As the incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) rises worldwide, The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust today announced the launch of an ambitious new T1D Prevention Initiative to investigate the early stages of development of the disease and identify new pathways to prevent it.

28 Apr 2015

Gladstone researchers identify way to prevent MS development in mice

Scientists from the Gladstone Institutes have discovered a way to prevent the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) in mice. Using a drug that blocks the production of a certain type of immune cell linked to inflammation and autoimmunity, the researchers successfully protected against the onset of MS in an animal model of the disease.

28 Apr 2015

Scientists identify missing genetic link in common variable immunodeficiency disorder

In the largest genetic study to date of a challenging immunodeficiency disorder, scientists have identified a gene that may be a "missing link" between overactive and underactive immune activity. The gene candidate also plays a key role in autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and allergies.

23 Apr 2015

Gene therapy reduces infectious complications in children, teens with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome

In a small study that included seven children and teens with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, a rare immunodeficiency disorder, use of gene therapy resulted in clinical improvement in infectious complications, severe eczema, and symptoms of autoimmunity, according to a study in the April 21 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on child health.

22 Apr 2015

MGH investigators identify inflammatory molecule that plays key role in lupus

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators have identified an inflammatory molecule that appears to play an essential role in the autoimmune disorder systemic lupus erythematosus, commonly known as lupus.

7 Apr 2015

Antibodies may trigger psychiatric illness in children

A world first study revealing the presence of two antibodies in a sub-group of children experiencing their first episode of psychosis affirms a longstanding recognition that auto-immune disorders play a significant role in psychiatric illness.

31 Mar 2015

Autoimmune disease forum to be held in Tampa on March 28, 2015

The "What Every American Needs to Know About Autoimmune Disease" public forum arrives in Tampa on Saturday, March 28th. The program will begin at 9:30am and end at 3:30pm.

26 Mar 2015

Discovery raises potential of blood test that can help diagnose osteoarthritis, rheumatoid

The first blood test for osteoarthritis could soon be developed, thanks to research by the University of Warwick.

20 Mar 2015

Islet autoantibody levels predict progression to diabetes

Levels of insulin autoantibodies and insulinoma-associated protein 2 autoantibodies predict the onset of diabetes in young children with islet autoimmunity, show findings from the TEDDY study.

13 Mar 2015

New database on healthy immune system may help design future studies on autoimmune disorders

An extensive database identifying immune traits, such as how immune cell function is regulated at the genetic level in healthy people, is reported by researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and their collaborators in the journal Cell.

13 Mar 2015

Better interventions possible for children experiencing acute psychosis with antibodies

Antibodies defend the body against bacterial, viral, and other invaders. But sometimes the body makes antibodies that attack healthy cells. In these cases, autoimmune disorders develop.

6 Mar 2015

Case Western dental researcher discovers new way to model how T cells cause inflammation in mice

Case Western Reserve University dental researcher Pushpa Pandiyan has discovered a new way to model how infection-fighting T cells cause inflammation in mice.

23 Feb 2015

AARDA releases white paper to educate its members, patient community about biosimilar medicines

The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, a national nonprofit health organization dedicated to increasing awareness of autoimmune diseases, today issued a white paper to educate its membership and the patient community about biosimilar medicines after a survey found most patients were generally unaware of this new category of medicines which may soon be approved in the U.S.

16 Feb 2015

Oral pathogen protects different tumor cells from being killed by immune cells

Bacteria that are commonly found in the mouth are often abundant in patients with colon cancer, but the potential role these microbes play in tumor development has not been clear. A study published by Cell Press February 18th in the journal Immunity reveals that the oral pathogen Fusobacterium nucleatum protects a variety of tumor cells from being killed by immune cells.

12 Feb 2015

Mercury associated with autoimmunity among women of childbearing age

One of the greatest risk factors for autoimmunity among women of childbearing age may be associated with exposure to mercury such as through seafood, a new University of Michigan study says.

10 Feb 2015

UAB Research Probes Molecular Basis Of Rare Genetic Disorder

An international group co-led by University of Alabama at Birmingham researcher Mary MacDougall, Ph.D., has unraveled the molecular basis for the rare, inherited genetic disorder, Singleton-Merten Syndrome (SMS). Individuals with SMS develop extreme, life-threatening calcification of the aorta and heart valves, early-onset periodontitis and root resorption of the teeth, decreases in bone density, and loss of bone tissue at the tips of fingers and toes.

23 Jan 2015