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Johns Hopkins scientists safely use immune cells to treat multiple myeloma

In a report on what is believed to be the first small clinical trial of its kind, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center say they have safely used immune cells grown from patients' own bone marrow to treat multiple myeloma, a cancer of white blood cells.

21 May 2015

Research shows how immune system controls biological clock in times of inflammation, infection

Researchers at Trinity College Dublin and the University of Pennsylvania have uncovered an important link between our body clock and the immune system that will have relevance to the treatment of inflammatory and infectious diseases.

20 May 2015

Researchers uncover major link between human body clock and immune system

An important link between the human body clock and the immune system has relevance for better understanding inflammatory and infectious diseases, discovered collaborators at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Trinity College, Dublin.

19 May 2015

Live, multi-strain probiotic drink may benefit people with ulcerative colitis

People with ulcerative colitis may benefit from taking the live, multi-strain probiotic drink, Symprove, to reduce intestinal inflammation, according to the results of a new study presented today at Digestive Disease Week 2015.

18 May 2015

Combination therapy provides promising results in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

An early phase study testing an anti-PDL1 agent in combination with standard chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer has provided promising early results, prompting multiple phase III studies in lung cancer. The findings are being presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

15 May 2015

Acupuncture reduces pain, inflammation in pediatric patients with acute appendicitis

Acupuncture was shown to lessen pain and reduce the underlying inflammation in pediatric patients with a diagnosis of acute appendicitis, according to a study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

15 May 2015

Researchers make major step toward finding target to combat drug-resistant neuroblastoma

Researchers at Children's Hospital Los Angeles have made an important step toward finding a target in the fight against drug-resistant neuroblastoma (NBL), the most common solid malignancy found, outside of the skull, in children.

14 May 2015

Study finds link between PTSD and accelerated aging

In recent years, public health concerns about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have risen significantly, driven in part by affected military veterans returning from conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere. PTSD is associated with number of psychological maladies, among them chronic depression, anger, insomnia, eating disorders and substance abuse.

10 May 2015

Quest Diagnostics launches genomic test service that aids in diagnosis for myeloid neoplasms

Quest Diagnostics, the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, today announced LeukoVantage, an evidence-based genomic test service that aids in the diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring and selection of treatment for myeloid neoplasms, a group of hematologic malignancies that includes acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the most common form of adult acute leukemia, as well as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs).

From Quest Diagnostics 7 May 2015

AbbVie's venetoclax granted FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for CLL patients with 17p deletion

AbbVie today announced its investigational medicine venetoclax, an inhibitor of the B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) protein that is being developed in partnership with Genentech and Roche, has been granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in previously treated (relapsed/refractory) patients with the 17p deletion genetic mutation.

6 May 2015

UNC researchers use exosomes to deliver potent Parkinson's treatment directly to the brain

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have used exosomes -- tiny bubbles of protein and fat produced naturally by cells -- to bypass the body's defenses and deliver a potent antioxidant directly to the brain to treat Parkinson's disease.

5 May 2015

Chickenpox virus can cause strokes in patients with compromised immune systems

Patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can, in rare cases, experience bleeding on the brain that causes a type of stroke called intracerebral hemorrhage.

5 May 2015

Pre-POINT trial raises hope for Type 1 diabetes prevention

Giving oral insulin to children at genetic high risk of diabetes stimulates a regulatory immune response without inducing hypoglycaemia, show the findings of the Pre-POINT study.

1 May 2015

ITIM-containing receptor crucial for development of acute myeloid leukemia

UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists have discovered that a certain class of receptors that inhibit immune response are crucial for the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the most common acute leukemia affecting adults.

30 Apr 2015

Preclinical data from Synthetic Biologics' SYN-005 for Pertussis treatment presented at ECCMID 2015

Synthetic Biologics, Inc., a developer of pathogen-specific therapies for serious infections and diseases, with a focus on protecting the microbiome, announced that preclinical data from its novel SYN-005 program for the treatment of Pertussis were presented in two posters at ECCMID 2015 (European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases), on April 25, 2015, in Copenhagen, Denmark.

27 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

Scientists identify protein that could help tame severe inflammation

Researchers have identified a protein that offers a new focus for developing targeted therapies to tame the severe inflammation associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), colitis and other autoimmune disorders.

22 Apr 2015

New study sheds light on mechanism that affects AID enzyme

A new study by immunology researchers at the IRCM led by Javier M. Di Noia, PhD, sheds light on a mechanism affecting AID, a crucial enzyme for the immune response. The scientific breakthrough, published in the latest issue of The Journal of Experimental Medicine, could eventually improve the way we treat the common flu, as well as lymphoma and leukemia.

21 Apr 2015

MGH researchers find probable mechanism associated with risk of developing serious diseases

Massachusetts General Hospital investigators have found the probable mechanism underlying a previously described biomarker associated with the risk of developing serious diseases ranging from cancer to cardiovascular disease and the risk of serious complications. In a paper published in the American Journal of Hematology, the research team reports finding that higher levels of a measure routinely taken as part of the complete blood count - the extent of variation in the size of red blood cells - is caused by reduced clearance of aging cells from the bloodstream.

20 Apr 2015

Pembrolizumab drug halts tumor growth in 76% of patients with pleural mesothelioma

The PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab, a cancer immunotherapy drug, shrank or halted growth of tumors in 76 percent of patients with pleural mesothelioma, a rare and deadly form of cancer that arises in the outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall, according to a new study from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.