Immune Response News and Research

RSS

Invertebrate immune systems are anything but simple

A hundred years since Russian microbiologist Elie Metschnikow first discovered the invertebrate immune system, scientists are only just beginning to understand its complexity.

23 Jun 2007

PepTcell vaccine could provide immunity against all strains of influenza virus

Previously undisclosed pre-clinical data showing how a new flu vaccine has the potential to protect against all strains of influenza, including pandemic and annual, was presented by PepTcell, at the 2007 Options for the Control of Influenza VI (Options) Conference, in Toronto, Canada.

20 Jun 2007

Acquired DNA key to certain bacterial infection

Researchers announced this week the discovery of a mechanism by which Mycobacterium avium - a bacterium which can result in serious lung infections and is prevalent in emphysema and AIDS patients among others - infects tissue cells or macrophages and thus compromises the body's immunity.

19 Jun 2007

Common DNA variations underlie susceptibility to fever after smallpox vaccination

Their finding is the first to link individual differences written into the genetic code with a vaccine-related complication, albeit a mild one.

19 Jun 2007

Antitumor vaccine

How can we induce the body to use its own weapon, the immune system, to battle cancer" In principle, by the same means used against infectious diseases: immunization.

18 Jun 2007

Impaired anti-inflammatory response plays role in pathology of type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is classified as a metabolic disorder, but a growing number of researchers are beginning to think of it also as a disease of the innate immune system. Inflammation, a key component of the early immune response, is chronically elevated in people with type 2 diabetes.

17 Jun 2007

Baxter supports better access to pandemic flu treatment in developing world

Baxter International Inc. has expressed its continued support of the World Health Organization's (WHO) pandemic planning programs through participation in a planned international stockpile program.

From Baxter International Inc. 17 Jun 2007

New cellular pathway that operates to restrict inflammation and immunity

Jonsson Cancer Center have discovered a novel anti-inflammatory cell signaling pathway that may serve as a vital Yin-Yang mechanism to maintain the delicate balance of immune response.

16 Jun 2007

Nanosized bioceramic particles could function as efficient gene delivery vehicles with target specificity for the spleen

A detailed comparison of different types of ceramic nanoparticles has found that those made of silica can efficiently transport therapeutic genes to the spleen and trigger a potent immune response capable of attacking tumors.

14 Jun 2007

Eurand files NDA for Zentase for the treatment of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency

Eurand has announced that Eurand Pharmaceuticals Ltd. initiated the rolling submission of its new drug application (NDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Zentase for the treatment of Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI). Zentase (formerly EUR-1008), the company's lead product candidate, has been granted fast-track designation by the FDA.

14 Jun 2007

What makes people susceptible to rheumatoid arthritis?

Peter K. Gregersen, MD, stares at x-rays of hands, searching out the telltale signs of inflamed joints and wrists from his research subjects with rheumatoid arthritis. With these clinical features at his side, he turns to the basic building blocks of life , the human genome , to figure out what makes these people susceptible to the disabling inflammatory condition.

14 Jun 2007

miRNAs shown to be a critical force behind the anti-proliferation potential of p53

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) researchers led by Lin He, Xingyue He, and Professor and Howard Hughes Medical Investigator (HHMI) Greg Hannon have identified a family of micro RNAs (miRNAs) that enable a critical tumor suppressor network, called the p53 pathway, to fight cancer growth.

8 Jun 2007

Protein S-100 linked to melanoma recurrence

Higher levels of a protein called S-100 in patients with melanoma may correlate with a higher risk of having the disease return, say researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI), who presented their findings today at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago.

5 Jun 2007

Findings from study of immunotherapy vaccine in prostate cancer patients

Data from an ongoing study designed to explore the biologic and clinical activity of cancer immunotherapy sipuleucel-T, or Provenge, in patients with early stage recurrent prostate cancer who have a rising serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) level, but who have not yet developed metastatic disease will be presented by Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researchers.

5 Jun 2007

Chemotherapy may enhance the effectiveness of the vaccines

Chemotherapy temporarily hinders the body's immune response, creating a concern that it may interfere with the promising new cancer vaccines being used against brain tumors.

5 Jun 2007

FDA provides guidance to help increase supply of influenza vaccines

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued final recommendations to increase the supply of safe and effective influenza vaccines for both seasonal and pandemic use.

3 Jun 2007

Exposure to flu vaccine kick-starts fetal immune system in pregnant mothers

Some researchers have hypothesized that the fetus can be exposed to and mount an immune response against allergens to which the mother has been exposed, and this may have an effect on the development of allergic sensitivity (e.g. eczema and asthma) later in an infant's life.

3 Jun 2007