immunity News and Research

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Universal influenza vaccination may reduce health care costs in the U.S.

Implementing a recommendation that all Americans be vaccinated against influenza may dramatically reduce health care costs and the number of people infected with seasonal influenza in the United States.

14 Jun 2011

Researchers unearth secret of immune system's success

After eight years of work, researchers have unearthed what has been a well-kept secret of our immune system's success. The findings published online on June 9th in Immunity, a Cell Press publication, offer an explanation for how specialized immune cells are able to kill infected or cancerous cells without killing themselves in the process.

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 10 Jun 2011

Swine flu may have been more widespread in Scotland than previously believed, study says

Up to two million people in Scotland may have been infected with swine flu during the outbreak of winter 2009-2010, making the flu much more widespread than previously thought, according to a study published by researchers from the University of Edinburgh in PLoS One, BBC News reports.

10 Jun 2011

Valuable insight into how people develop B-cell lymphoma

Researchers from the University of Sheffield have discovered valuable insight into how people develop B-cell lymphoma, one of the most common cancers in the UK.

9 Jun 2011

Scientists, advocacy experts form new international Foundation for Vaccine Research

Fourteen leading scientists and advocacy experts in vaccines and infectious diseases have announced the formation of a new international Foundation to advance and accelerate vaccine research and development against infectious diseases.

9 Jun 2011

Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-associated liver disease after liver transplantation

Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-associated liver disease continues to be the most common indication for liver transplantation (LT) in the United States accounting for nearly 50% of all liver transplants. Recurrence is universal in patients viremic at the time of transplantation with histological hepatitis developing in the majority of patients. Although the natural history of recurrent HCV is difficult to predict, it is widely accepted that cirrhosis from recurrent HCV occurs in up to 30% of patients within five years of transplantation.

8 Jun 2011

OncoSec announces additional evaluation of ElectroImmunotherapy Phase I trial on melanoma

OncoSec Medical Incorporated, which is developing its advanced-stage ElectroOncology therapies to treat solid tumor cancers, announced today that additional evaluation of a previous Phase I trial provided further evidence that a DNA plasmid encoded to produce IL-12 delivered by electroporation into melanoma lesions induces responses to known and novel antigens, resulting in regression of local treated lesions as well as distant untreated lesions.

7 Jun 2011

Initial positive results from ZIOPHARM's ZIN-CTI-001 Phase Ib study against advanced melanoma

ZIOPHARM Oncology, Inc. announced today that Douglas J. Schwartzentruber, MD, FACS, of the Indiana University Health Goshen Center for Cancer Care, presented initial positive clinical results from the first-ever treatment demonstrating control over transgene encoding of a therapeutic anticancer protein in humans using a small molecule activator ligand.

7 Jun 2011

New data from Argos AGS-003, sunitinib Phase 2 combination study on RCC presented at ASCO

Argos Therapeutics today announced that new data from its Phase 2 combination study of its Arcelis immunotherapy for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), AGS-003, in combination with sunitinib showed improvement over expectations for sunitinib alone in progression-free survival (PFS) in newly diagnosed metastatic RCC patients with unfavorable prognosis.

6 Jun 2011

Super microscopes help scientists identify exact molecular 'switch' that spurs T-cells into action

Using the only microscope of its kind in Australia, medical scientists have been able for the first time to see the inner workings of T-cells, the front-line troops that alert our immune system to go on the defensive against germs and other invaders in our bloodstream.

6 Jun 2011

Scientists use super microscope to pinpoint body’s immunity ‘switch’

5 Jun 2011

DFG to form new collaborative research centers as of 1 July 2011

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) will establish 21 new Collaborative Research Centres (CRCs) as of 1 July 2011. This was decided by the relevant Grants Committee at its spring meeting in Bonn.

4 Jun 2011

Mimicry allows bacteria to evade host's defense responses

Deadly bacteria may be evolving antibiotic resistance by mimicking human proteins, according to a new study by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).

3 Jun 2011

Removal of tonsils and appendix heightens risk of heart attack: Study

According to a new study surgical removal of tonsils and the appendix before the age of 20 is likely to elevate the risk of a premature heart attack. The researchers found that tonsillectomy (removal of tonsils) increased the risk by 44 per cent and removal of the appendix by 33 per cent. The risk increases were even higher when both the tonsils and appendix were removed.

2 Jun 2011

Appendix and tonsil surgeries before age 20 can increase risk of premature heart attack

The surgical removal of the appendix and tonsils before the age of 20 was associated with an increased risk of premature heart attack in a large population study performed in Sweden. Tonsillectomy increased the risk by 44% (hazard ratio 1.44) and appendectomy by 33% (HR 1.33).

1 Jun 2011

Natural killer cells promote induction of dry eye disease: New discovery

If you are one of the millions of people around the world who struggle with dry eye disease, good news is on the way. A new research discovery published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology offers hope for new drugs that treat the cellular cause of the disease rather than its symptoms.

1 Jun 2011

Scientists study key malaria protein structure to demonstrate how cells grow and move

Researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute have overturned conventional wisdom on how cell movement across all species is controlled, solving the structure of a protein that cuts power to the cell 'motor'. The protein could be a potential drug target for future malaria and anti-cancer treatments.

31 May 2011

Scientists discover new mechanism that controls inflammation

The molecular machines that defend our body against infection don't huff and puff, but some of them apparently operate on the same principle as a steam engine.

26 May 2011

New study shows that closing schools, other measures limited H1N1 spread in Mexico

The H1N1 virus was new, and most of the cases occurred among young people. Health professionals and scientists weren’t sure at the onset what the world would encounter with the virus.

24 May 2011

Fluorinated glucosamine blocks synthesis of key sugar linked to skin inflammation, cancer progression

Charles J. Dimitroff, MS, PhD and colleagues in the Dimitroff Lab at Brigham and Women's Hospital, have developed a fluorinated analog of glucosamine, which, in a recent study, has been shown to block the synthesis of key carbohydrate structures linked to skin inflammation and cancer progression. These findings appear in the April 14, 2011, issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.