Autoimmune Disease News and Research

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

New low-cost microfluidic device brings single-cell technology to bedside

Single-cell analysis holds enormous potential to study how individual cells influence disease and respond to treatment, but the lack of cost-effective and user-friendly instrumentation remains challenging.

23 Feb 2018

Rare immune cell may prove to be potent weapon in fighting against cancer

One of the rarest of immune cells, unknown to scientists a decade ago, might prove to be a potent weapon in stopping cancer from spreading in the body, according to new research from the University of British Columbia.

23 Feb 2018

Scientists identify four viruses that can produce insulin-like hormones

Every cell in your body responds to the hormone insulin, and if that process starts to fail, you get diabetes. In an unexpected finding, scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center have identified four viruses that can produce insulin-like hormones that are active on human cells.

19 Feb 2018

Experimental molecular therapy restores insulation on peripheral nerves in mice

When the body attacks its own healthy tissues in an autoimmune disease, peripheral nerve damage handicaps people and causes persistent neuropathic pain when insulation on healing nerves doesn't fully regenerate.

12 Feb 2018

Scientists develop new array to identify biomarkers for wide range of diseases

Scientists have developed a way to identify biomarkers for a wide range of diseases by assessing the antibodies we are making to the complex sugars coating our cells.

12 Feb 2018

Dermatologists use novel combination therapy to restore skin color in vitiligo patients

Building on prior research that examined the use of an arthritis medication to treat vitiligo, a team of Yale dermatologists has successfully applied a novel combination therapy -- the medication and light -- to restore skin color in patients.

31 Jan 2018

Women's health research gets federal and local boost

Women's health research got a federal and local boost with the declaration of a national Women's Health Research Day to coincide with the 2nd Annual Symposium on Sex Inclusion in Biomedical Research on Jan. 25.

25 Jan 2018

Study reveals key role of macrophages in systemic sclerosis

A new international study has made an important discovery about the key role of macrophages, a type of immune cell, in systemic sclerosis (SSc), a chronic autoimmune disease which currently has no cure.

19 Jan 2018

LJI study reveals key player that promotes skin inflammation in atopic dermatitis

Severe eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that is driven by an allergic reaction. In their latest study, researchers at La Jolla Institute reveal an important player that promotes skin inflammation in atopic dermatitis and the characteristic thickening of the skin.

18 Jan 2018

Stem cell transplant can effectively treat patients with rare autoimmune disease, study shows

An unusual autoimmune disease that causes skin and lung damage can be treated effectively by stem cell transplant, a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine has found.

12 Jan 2018

Stem cell transplant improves survival among scleroderma patients

Scleroderma with internal organ involvement is a debilitating and lethal autoimmune disorder with few effective treatments. But a study led by Duke Health researchers has found new cause for optimism using an aggressive stem cell transplant regimen.

5 Jan 2018

Cancer immunotherapy’s effectiveness may depend on patient’s genetic makeup

Cancer cells arise when DNA is mutated, and these cells should be recognized as "foreign" by the immune system. However, cancer cells have found ways to evade detection by the immune system.

15 Dec 2017

Study reveals how the body clock and time of day may influence autoimmune conditions

Insights into how the body clock and time of day influence immune responses are revealed today in a study published in leading international journal Nature Communications.

12 Dec 2017

Taurine could boost effectiveness of existing multiple sclerosis therapies

New research suggests that administering taurine, a molecule naturally produced by human cells, could boost the effectiveness of current multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies.

8 Dec 2017

Scientists find link between physical contact and gut bacteria in red-bellied lemurs

Scientists have found a direct link between physical contact and gut bacteria in red-bellied lemurs. Likely passed through 'huddling' behavior and touch, the new research has implications for human health.

5 Dec 2017

Scientists identifies new genetic changes that increase risk of developing Hodgkin lymphoma

People who inherit genetic changes which alter the function of their immune system are at increased risk of developing Hodgkin lymphoma, a major new study reports.

1 Dec 2017

Newly discovered drug-like compound may revolutionize treatment of autoimmune diseases

University of Colorado Boulder researchers have discovered a potent, drug-like compound that could someday revolutionize treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases by inhibiting a protein instrumental in prompting the body to start attacking its own tissue.

21 Nov 2017

Old World monkeys could hold key to stop progression of rheumatoid arthritis

In the quest for a new and more effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC looked to a primate that mostly roams the land in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

17 Nov 2017

Environmental triggers may play role in development of Lupus

While genetics play a role in the development of Lupus, a systemic autoimmune disease that can attack any organ system in the human body, so do environmental triggers, such as particulates in air pollution and ultraviolet light, explains Gaurav Gulati, MD, a physician-researcher at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

16 Nov 2017

MGH researchers identify first effective treatment option for autoimmune small-fiber polyneuropathy

An analysis of the medical records of patients treated at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) for an often-mysterious condition involving damage to small nerve fibers supports the hypothesis that some cases are caused by autoimmune disease and also identifies the first effective treatment option.

9 Nov 2017