Immunodeficiency News and Research

RSS

Immunodeficiency (or immune deficiency) is a state in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious disease is compromised or entirely absent.

Gut microbe in patients may tip doctors about SCID

Many people recognize "the bubble boy" as an unusual character from a "Seinfeld" episode or a John Travolta movie.

30 Sep 2014

New comic book explains to children about Primary Immunodeficiency

Primary Immunodeficiency (PID) refers to a group of disorders characterised by limited or absent function of the immune system. The majority of PIDs are inherited defects meaning that a component is either missing or does not function normally, resulting in increased susceptibility to infection. About 1 in 500 people are born with PID and doctors’ estimate that approximately 5,000 people may be affected by PID in the UK.

27 Sep 2014

Many fear lack of confidentiality and disclosure regarding genetic test's purpose

Genomic medicine is rapidly developing, bringing with its advances promises of individualized genetic information to tailor and optimize prevention and treatment interventions. Genetic tests are already guiding treatments of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis c virus (HPC), and emerging research is showing genetic variants may be used to screen for an individual's susceptibility to addiction to a substance, and even inform treatments for addiction.

24 Sep 2014

Janssen announces availability of PREZCOBIX for Canadians living with HIV

Janssen Inc. announced today that PREZCOBIX (darunavir/cobicistat), a once-daily, oral medication for the treatment of HIV infection in combination with other antiretroviral agents, is now available in Canada. It is the first HIV treatment option available to patients that provides boosted darunavir in a single tablet.

17 Sep 2014

Leaky intestines may cripple bacteria-fighting immune cells in patients with CVID

Leaky intestines may cripple bacteria-fighting immune cells in patients with a rare hereditary disease, according to a study by researchers in Lausanne, Switzerland. The study, published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine, may explain why these patients suffer from recurrent bacterial infections.

16 Sep 2014

Belgian receives research grant from Jeffrey Modell to help cure IPEX syndrome

For the first time the Jeffrey Modell Foundation is giving a research grant to a Belgian laboratory. The team of Adrian Liston from VIB-KU Leuven will use the grant to develop a gene therapy to cure children that suffer from IPEX syndrome, a rare and fatal autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissues and organs.

9 Sep 2014

Case Western Reserve scientists discover leaky gut as source of non-AIDS complications

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is no longer a fatal condition, thanks to newer medications inhibiting the retrovirus, but a puzzling phenomenon has surfaced among these patients — non-AIDS complications. Scientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have resolved the mystery with their discovery of the leaky gut as the offender.

4 Sep 2014

Researchers make surprising discoveries about the body's early responses to HIV infection

Researchers at UC Davis have made some surprising discoveries about the body's initial responses to HIV infection. Studying simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), the team found that specialized cells in the intestine called Paneth cells are early responders to viral invasion and are the source of gut inflammation by producing a cytokine called interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β).

30 Aug 2014

Researchers find method to expand blood stem cells used to treat cancer patients

A team of scientists from the University of Colorado School of Medicine has reported the breakthrough discovery of a process to expand production of stem cells used to treat cancer patients.

30 Aug 2014

School nurses reach 98% of students in U.S. public schools to diagnose primary immunodeficiency

School nurses reach 98 percent of the 50,000,000 students in U.S. public schools, grades k-12, and are uniquely positioned to facilitate the early diagnosis of serious medical conditions such as primary immunodeficiency (PI).

28 Aug 2014

TIM-family proteins also have ability to block release of HIV and other viruses

A family of proteins that promotes virus entry into cells also has the ability to block the release of HIV and other viruses, University of Missouri researchers have found.

26 Aug 2014

FDA approves ViiV Healthcare's Triumeq tablets for treatment of HIV-1 infection

ViiV Healthcare announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved Triumeq (abacavir 600mg, dolutegravir 50mg and lamivudine 300mg) tablets for the treatment of HIV-1 infection.

23 Aug 2014

Newborn screening for SCID holds promise that affected children can lead healthy lives

Using population-based screening outcomes of approximately 3 million infants, a team of scientists across 14 states, including four researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, have shown that newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) can be successfully implemented across public health newborn screening programs.

21 Aug 2014

Study underscores the importance of newborn screening for Bubble Boy disease

The Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF) applauds a new study published August 19, 2014 in the Journal of the American Medical Association that underscores the importance of newborn screening for Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (SCID), also known as Bubble Boy disease.

20 Aug 2014

Study examines national impact of newborn screening test for SCID

Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), a potentially life-threatening, but treatable, disorder affecting infants, is twice as common as previously believed, according to a new study that is the first to examine the national impact of this newborn screening test.

20 Aug 2014

Newborn screening indicates that incidence of SCID is higher than previously believed

Newborn screening performed in numerous states indicates that the incidence of the potentially life-threatening disorder, severe combined immunodeficiency, is higher than previously believed, at 1 in 58,000 births, although there is a high rate of survival, according to a study in the August 20 issue of JAMA.

20 Aug 2014

Researchers find method to repair gene mutation causing autoimmune deficiency disease

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have found a method to repair the gene mutation causing agammaglobulinemia, an autoimmune deficiency disease that almost exclusively affects boys and in which the body lacks the ability to produce immunoglobulins (gamma globulin).

14 Aug 2014

Combination of NASBA and real-time qPCR detects aspergillosis with 100% accuracy

The fungal infection invasive aspergillosis (IA) can be life threatening, especially in patients whose immune systems are weakened by chemotherapy or immunosuppressive drugs. Despite the critical need for early detection, IA remains difficult to diagnose.

14 Aug 2014

Researcher examines effectiveness of brief interventions for reducing problem drug use

Peter Roy-Byrne, M.D., formerly of the University of Washington, Seattle, and colleagues write that few data exist on the effectiveness of brief (1-2 sessions) interventions for reducing problem drug use, a common issue in disadvantaged populations seeking care in safety-net medical settings (hospitals and community health clinics serving low-income patients with limited or no insurance).

6 Aug 2014

States of Maine and Rhode Island add SCID to newborn screening panels

The Immune Deficiency Foundation commends the states of Maine and Rhode Island for adding Severe Combined Immune Deficiency to their states' newborn screening panels, effective August 1, 2014. These states join 21 other states currently screening newborns for SCID, ensuring over two thirds of all babies in the U.S. are now being screened.

5 Aug 2014

Immunodeficiency News and Research

Further Reading

Gut microbe in patients may tip doctors about SCID

New comic book explains to children about Primary Immunodeficiency

Many fear lack of confidentiality and disclosure regarding genetic test's purpose

Janssen announces availability of PREZCOBIX for Canadians living with HIV

Leaky intestines may cripple bacteria-fighting immune cells in patients with CVID

Belgian receives research grant from Jeffrey Modell to help cure IPEX syndrome

Case Western Reserve scientists discover leaky gut as source of non-AIDS complications

Researchers make surprising discoveries about the body's early responses to HIV infection

Researchers find method to expand blood stem cells used to treat cancer patients

School nurses reach 98% of students in U.S. public schools to diagnose primary immunodeficiency

TIM-family proteins also have ability to block release of HIV and other viruses

FDA approves ViiV Healthcare's Triumeq tablets for treatment of HIV-1 infection

Newborn screening for SCID holds promise that affected children can lead healthy lives

Study underscores the importance of newborn screening for Bubble Boy disease

Study examines national impact of newborn screening test for SCID

Newborn screening indicates that incidence of SCID is higher than previously believed

Researchers find method to repair gene mutation causing autoimmune deficiency disease

Combination of NASBA and real-time qPCR detects aspergillosis with 100% accuracy

Researcher examines effectiveness of brief interventions for reducing problem drug use

States of Maine and Rhode Island add SCID to newborn screening panels

Revolutionizing Life Science: An Interview with SCIEX on ASMS, the SCIEX 7500+ System, and AI-Driven Quantitation

From Discovery Biology to ELRIG Chair

Breathing New Life into Diagnostics: Plasmion's SICRIT Technology

Latest News