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.

Early exposure to inflammatory cytokines can paralyze CD4 T cells

In a discovery that is likely to rewrite immunology text books, researchers at UC Davis have found that early exposure to inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin 2, can "paralyze" CD4 T cells, immune components that help orchestrate the body's response to pathogens and other invaders.

19 Aug 2015

Bacteria in gut may be the cause of uveitis in the eye

The inflammatory eye disorder autoimmune uveitis occurs when a person's immune system goes awry, attacking proteins in the eye. What spurs this response is a mystery, but now a study on mice suggests that bacteria in the gut may provide a kind of training ground for immune cells to attack the eye.

19 Aug 2015

Depressive symptoms, stress, anxiety and anger in RA patients linked to atherosclerosis

New research reveals that depressive symptoms, stress, anxiety, and anger and lack of social support in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were linked to atherosclerosis--a build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries that contributes to cardiovascular disease. The study published in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology, suggests that screening and treatment of psychosocial symptoms may curb the cardiovascular disease burden in RA patients.

13 Aug 2015

New study reveals role of hydrogen sulfide gas in autoimmune disease

The immune system not only responds to infections and other potentially problematic abnormalities in the body, it also contains a built-in brake in the form of regulatory T cells, or Tregs. Tregs ensure that inflammatory responses don't get out of hand and do damage. In autoimmune diseases, sometimes these Treg cells don't act as they should.

12 Aug 2015

Researchers show how microbiota protects against type 1 diabetes development

Our bodies have ten times the amount of microbes than human cells. This set of bacteria is called microbiota. In some instances, bacteria known as pathogens can cause infectious diseases. However, these micro-organisms can also protect us from certain diseases. Researchers from Inserm, Paris Descartes University and the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research), through collaboration with teams from China and Sweden, have recently shown how microbiota protects against the development of type 1 diabetes.

7 Aug 2015

Results of IPC survey identifying 21 psoriasis research priorities published in British Journal of Dermatology

The British Journal of Dermatology has published online the results of an International Psoriasis Council (IPC) survey identifying 21 psoriasis research priorities. The results will also appear in a future print edition of the journal.

6 Aug 2015

Diets high in sodium could be a novel risk factor in development of multiple sclerosis

Here's another reason to put the salt shaker down: New research in mice shows that diets high in sodium may be a novel risk factor in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) by influencing immune cells that cause the disease. Although this research does implicate salt intake as a risk factor, it is important to note that dietary salt is likely just one of the many environmental factors contributing to this complex disease, and very much influenced by one's genetic background.

6 Aug 2015

Penn Medicine devises new approach to develop vaccines against lethal diseases

Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have devised an entirely new approach to vaccines - creating immunity without vaccination.

4 Aug 2015

New research shows promising progress in use of anti-inflammatory cytokine for T1D treatment

New research from Uppsala University shows promising progress in the use of anti-inflammatory cytokine for treatment of type 1 diabetes. The study, published in the open access journal Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing Group), reveals that administration of interleukin-35 (a protein made by immune cells) to mice with type 1 diabetes, reverses or cures the disease by maintaining a normal blood glucose level and the immune tolerance.

30 Jul 2015

Low blood level of 4 proteins can help diabetics protect against immune attack

Patients with type 1 diabetes have significantly lower blood levels of four proteins that help protect their tissue from attack by their immune system, scientists report.

30 Jul 2015

Researchers use silk fibers to grow stem cells into salivary gland cells

The silkworm, which produces the essential ingredient for fine silk fabric, also plays a critical role in a new process designed to provide relief for millions of individuals with dry mouth, a devastating oral and systemic health issue.

28 Jul 2015

Study points to potential treatment for thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura

A rare autoimmune disease creates sudden pain in the abdomen or the head, sending a patient to the emergency room with a potentially fatal condition. The pain comes from a multitude of blockages of tiny blood vessels, formed after the patient's own immune system somehow inhibits an enzyme that is vital to control clotting.

23 Jul 2015

Dartmouth researchers perform first total syntheses of compounds involved in rapid cell death in leukemia

Dartmouth researchers and their colleagues have carried out the first total syntheses of certain compounds involved in excessive cell death in leukemia.

22 Jul 2015

Alefacept drug offers clinical benefit to certain individuals with new-onset type 1 diabetes

Individuals with new-onset type 1 diabetes who took two courses of alefacept (Amevive®, Astellas Pharma Inc.) soon after diagnosis show preserved beta cell function after two years compared to those who received a placebo.

21 Jul 2015

Antibiotics may increase risk of juvenile arthritis

Taking antibiotics may increase the risk that a child will develop juvenile arthritis, according to a study from Rutgers University, University of Pennsylvania and Nemours A.I. duPont Hospital for Children published today in Pediatrics.

21 Jul 2015

Inova Diagnostics announces FDA clearance for QUANTA Flash assays, QUANTA Flash Beta-2GP1 Domain1

Inova Diagnostics, a worldwide leader in autoimmune diagnostic reagents and systems for the clinical laboratory, announced today that it has received 510(k) clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on key QUANTA Flash assays for use with Inova Diagnostics' BIO-FLASH chemiluminescent analyzer for autoimmune testing.

20 Jul 2015

New study may help identify novel ways to treat immune thrombocytopenia

Immune thrombocytopenia, or ITP, is an autoimmune disease whereby the immune system sends antibodies to attack and destroy the body's platelets--blood cells responsible for controlling bleeding.

20 Jul 2015

UT Southwestern dermatologist improves technique to treat skin discoloration from vitiligo

A UT Southwestern Medical Center dermatologist has improved a technique to transplant pigment cells that can repair the affected area of skin discoloration from vitiligo.

17 Jul 2015

Immunocore completes $320 million (£205 million) private financing round

Immunocore Limited, a world-leading biotechnology company developing novel T cell receptor (TCR) based biological drugs to treat cancer, viral infections and autoimmune disease, today announced the completion of a US $320 million (GBP £205 million) private financing round.

16 Jul 2015

Transplanted MSCs slow progression of lupus nephritis by suppressing Tfh cells in SLE animal model

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that produces autoantibodies and subsequent immune reactions that can lead to a variety of symptoms, including inflammation of the kidneys, or nephritis. When researchers transplanted mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from human bone marrow into mice modeled with SLE, they found that inflammation was reduced and nephritis "attenuated."

15 Jul 2015