Immunosuppression News and Research

RSS

Immunosuppression involves an act that reduces the activation or efficacy of the immune system. Some portions of the immune system itself have immuno-suppressive effects on other parts of the immune system, and immunosuppression may occur as an adverse reaction to treatment of other conditions.

Antibiotic resistance potentially threatens the safety and efficacy of surgical procedures and immunosuppression therapies

This week The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal published the strongest evidence to date that increasing antibiotic resistance could have disastrous consequences for patients undergoing surgery or cancer chemotherapy. Based on a review of published literature, researchers predict that a 30% reduction in the efficacy of the prophylactic antibiotics routinely given when these procedures are performed could result in 120,000 more infections and 6300 infection-related deaths every year in the USA alone.

16 Oct 2015

Study suggests combination of MMF and CNIs can protect against rare lymphoma

16 Oct 2015

Researchers link organ transplant drug to rise in rare lymphoma

A study led by Johns Hopkins researchers has linked the immunosuppressive drug mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) to an increased risk of central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma in solid organ transplant patients. But the same study also found that another class of immunosuppressive drugs, called calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs), given alone or in combination with MMF, appears to protect transplant patients against this rare form of lymphoma.

15 Oct 2015

Skin cancer rates higher among gay and bisexual men, UCSF-led study finds

Gay and bisexual men were up to six times more likely than heterosexual men to take part in indoor tanning, and twice as likely to report a history of skin cancer, including nonmelanoma and melanoma, according to a study led by UC San Francisco researchers.

8 Oct 2015

Influenza-related pneumonia hospitalizations could be prevented through influenza vaccination

More than half of hospitalizations due to influenza pneumonia could be prevented by influenza vaccination, according to a study led by investigators at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

7 Oct 2015

Novel portable device counts white blood cells in real time

A novel way to count white blood cells without a blood test, simply by applying a small device on the fingertip, is being developed by a team of young bioengineers. The technology, that combines an optical sensor with algorithms, has already three prototypes on the go and is specially designed to be used on chemotherapy patients, who could know their immune system levels in real time. It could also serve to detect serious infections.

30 Sep 2015

Researchers extend innovative research towards a cure for type I diabetes

Associate Professor Shane Grey, of Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research, together with collaborators from the Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research and the Children's Hospital at Westmead, have been awarded $3.3 million to extend their innovative research towards a cure for type I diabetes.

23 Sep 2015

Ex-vivo lung perfusion technique can reduce risk of transplant rejection

University of Manchester researchers have used a new technique to recondition poorly functioning lungs and remove donor white blood cells in an attempt to increase the number of lungs available for transplant, and at the same time reduce the risk of acute rejection.

15 Sep 2015

Better treatment could be on the horizon for Myasthenia Gravis

Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is a debilitating and potentially deadly disease that can afflict anyone, characterized by severe muscle weakness, affecting control of facial expressions, arm and leg movements, chewing, swallowing, coughing and breathing. There is no cure, only treatment.

14 Sep 2015

Common drug used for treating fungal infections in lung transplant recipients increases risk for skin cancer, death

Voriconazole, a prescription drug commonly used to treat fungal infections in lung transplant recipients, significantly increases the risk for skin cancer and even death, according to a new study by UC San Francisco researchers.

3 Sep 2015

Envarsus XR granted FDA orphan drug designation for prophylaxis of organ rejection in kidney transplant patients

Veloxis Pharmaceuticals A/S, today announced that Envarsus XR was granted Orphan Drug status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for prophylaxis of organ rejection in patients who convert from immediate-release tacrolimus. Envarsus XR received marketing authorization from the FDA on July 10, 2015.

14 Aug 2015

CRI commits $29.3 million in new funds to accelerate development of cancer immunotherapies

The Cancer Research Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fueling the discovery and development of immunotherapies for all forms of cancer, announced that it has committed more than $29.3 million in new funds to accelerate cancer immunology research and cancer immunotherapy clinical development in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Sweden, Switzerland, and The Netherlands.

5 Aug 2015

Transplanted MSCs slow progression of lupus nephritis by suppressing Tfh cells in SLE animal model

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that produces autoantibodies and subsequent immune reactions that can lead to a variety of symptoms, including inflammation of the kidneys, or nephritis. When researchers transplanted mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from human bone marrow into mice modeled with SLE, they found that inflammation was reduced and nephritis "attenuated."

15 Jul 2015

Envarsus XR receives FDA approval for treatment of kidney transplant recipients

Veloxis Pharmaceuticals A/S today announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of Envarsus XR (tacrolimus extended-release tablets) for the prophylaxis of rejection in kidney transplant patients who require or desire conversion from other twice-daily tacrolimus products to once-daily Envarsus XR.

11 Jul 2015

Wayne State University awarded grant to explore new MS pathology model

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has provided a grant to a Wayne State University School of Medicine professor to explore a new model of MS pathology.

2 Jul 2015

A gastroenterologist guide to probiotics

In recent years, scientists have introduced us to a paradigm shift in the microscopic world. We've moved from thinking about all bacteria as bad guys to be wiped out with antibiotics and hand sanitizer to recognizing that some microbes are helpers, good bacteria that live in our GI tract (and all over our bodies) that keep us healthy.

11 Jun 2015

Houston Methodist Hospital and MD Anderson Cancer Center surgeons successfully perform multi-organ transplant

Surgical teams from Houston Methodist Hospital and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center successfully transplanted, for the first time, a scalp and skull while performing kidney and pancreas transplants.

5 Jun 2015

UCB sponsoring several presentations on Cimzia for Crohn's disease at DDW 2015

UCB, a global biopharmaceutical company focusing on immunology and neurology treatment and research, is sponsoring several data presentations on Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) at Digestive Disease Week 2015, taking place in Washington, DC from May 16-19.

17 May 2015

Novel combination therapy shows promise in mouse models of advanced prostate cancer

Chemotherapy can be very effective against small prostate tumors. Larger prostate tumors, however, accumulate cells that suppress the body's immune response, allowing the cancer to grow despite treatment.

30 Apr 2015

New computational model helps study how emerging metastatic tumors interact with immune system

You think that your immune system is there to protect you. But what happens when it starts working against you? In the earliest stages of cancer formation, the immune system is forced to make a momentous decision. It either activates and suppresses tumor growth to help the body fight disease, or it becomes dysfunctional, helping the tumor grow and making treatment more difficult. Because this tipping point occurs before a person even realizes something is wrong, doctors are unable to directly observe this critical stage.

25 Apr 2015