Immunosuppression News and Research

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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.

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

Mayo Clinic heart transplant surgeons present findings from three clinical studies at ISHLT 2015

Heart transplant surgeons from Mayo Clinic are presenting findings from three recent clinical studies involving heart transplant patients. The presentations took place during the 2015 International Society of Heart & Lung Transplant in Nice, France, on April 15-18.

21 Apr 2015

Neurology Times features special coverage of MS in observance of MS Awareness Month

UBM Medica US announces that Neurology Times, a leading online community and information resource for neurologists and other healthcare providers, is featuring special coverage of multiple sclerosis in observance of MS Awareness Month.

19 Mar 2015

CUMC researchers identify mechanism of kidney transplant tolerance

Columbia University Medical Center researchers have pinpointed the immune system mechanism that allows a kidney transplant to be accepted without lifelong immunosuppressive drugs, a significant step toward reducing or eliminating the need for costly and potentially toxic immunosuppressant drugs and improving long-term transplant success.

17 Mar 2015

Women for Positive Action introduces new educational tool for women living with HIV

To mark International Women's Day (March 8, 2015), Women for Positive Action has launched a practical and informative new educational tool entitled 'Hepatitis and coinfection in women living with HIV'. Led by a global, multidisciplinary group of experts, Women for Positive Action is committed to addressing the specific concerns of women living with HIV.

6 Mar 2015

New approach could dramatically increase survival rate of cancer patients

Michail Sitkovsky, an immunophysiology expert at Northeastern University, and his research colleagues have made a breakthrough discovery in cancer treatment. The new approach, some 30 years in the making, could dramatically increase the survival rate of patients with cancer, which kills some 8 million people each year.

5 Mar 2015

Study reveals causes of community-acquired pneumonia in children

With the chill of winter comes a spike in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), which spreads more easily as people retreat indoors and come into close contact. The lung infection triggers persistent coughing, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing, and is particularly hard on the very young and the very old. In fact, pneumonia is the leading cause of hospitalization among U.S. children, with estimated medical costs of $1 billion annually.

26 Feb 2015

Rigel, Bristol-Myers Squibb partner to develop, commercialize TGF beta receptor kinase inhibitors

Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today announced that they have entered into a collaboration agreement for the discovery, development and commercialization of cancer immunotherapies based on Rigel's extensive portfolio of small molecule TGF beta receptor kinase inhibitors.

23 Feb 2015

MD Anderson awarded more than $22 million in research grants from CPRIT

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has received more than $22 million in research grants this week from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Approximately half of the funds awarded for Individual Investigator Research Awards went to MD Anderson faculty as well as 40 percent of total IIRA awards that include those for children's and adolescent cancer and early detection and prevention.

21 Feb 2015

Researchers develop artificial adrenal system in animal model

If the function of the adrenal gland is disturbed it does not produce enough stress-adjusting messengers. The results are serious and cause life-threatening diseases. Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Stefan R. Bornstein of the university hospital Carl Gustav Carus researchers developed an artificial adrenal system together with the medicine Nobel Prize Laureate Prof. Dr. Andrew Schally in an animal model.

19 Feb 2015