Antibody News and Research

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An antibody is a blood protein that is produced in response to and counteracts an antigen. Antibodies are produced in response to disease and help the body fight against the particular disease. In this way, antibodies help the body develop an immunity to disease.

New findings on STEP HIV vaccine trial

The study is the result of the collaboration between scientists at the Institut de Genetique Moleculaire de Montpellier, Universite Montpellier I & II, Montpellier, France, the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and at the Swiss Vaccine Research Institute, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.

4 Nov 2008

Phase 2 trial of treatment of C-difficile-associated diarrhea shows promise

Medarex, Inc. and The Massachusetts Biologic Laboratories (MBL) of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) today announced that a Phase 2 trial of an anti- C. difficile antibody combination treatment in patients with C.

4 Nov 2008

Novel leukemia therapy shows promise for high-risk patients

Researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) are conducting clinical trials of a novel therapy aimed at revving up the immune system to combat a particularly difficult-to-treat form of leukemia.

4 Nov 2008

Discovery of biomarkers for esophageal cancer before it develops

Rhode Island Hospital researchers have identified genetic proteins, also known as biomarkers, capable of distinguishing changes at the microscopic level that can signal a precancerous condition in the esophagus.

4 Nov 2008

Study shows how HIV-1 vaccine trial could have enhanced HIV infection

In September 2007, a phase II HIV-1 vaccine trial was abruptly halted when researchers found that the vaccine may have promoted, rather than prevented, HIV infection.

4 Nov 2008

YM Biosciences reports on early trials of nimotuzumab in brain metastases and high-grade glioma

YM BioSciences Inc. has announced data from two clinical trials of nimotuzumab, its humanized monoclonal antibody that targets the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Preliminary results from the two trials which are evaluating nimotuzumab in combination with radiation therapy for the treatment of brain metastases and high-grade gliomas, conducted by YM's licensor, were presented at the 2008 EORTC-NCI-AACR annual meeting recently held in Geneva, Switzerland.

3 Nov 2008

Genentech submits application to FDA for Avastin in the most aggressive form of brain cancer

Genentech has announced that the company submitted a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Avastin (bevacizumab) as a therapy for people with previously treated glioblastoma. If accepted by the FDA, the application would be considered for an accelerated approval that allows provisional approval of medicines for cancer or other life-threatening diseases based on preliminary evidence suggesting clinical benefit.

3 Nov 2008

Researchers develop DNA vaccine for West Nile virus

Researchers are developing a DNA-based vaccine against the dreaded West Nile virus (WNV), which can be transmitted from animals to humans. The unique feature of this vaccine is that it is also effective after onset of the disease, for it has therapeutic properties.

3 Nov 2008

FDA accepts Arana's anti-inflammatory IND

Biotechnology company Arana Therapeutics Limited today announced that lead anti-inflammatory compound, ART621 has successfully passed review of its rheumatoid arthritis Investigational New Drug (IND) application by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

2 Nov 2008

Drinking milk to ease milk allergy?

Giving children with milk allergies increasingly higher doses of milk over time may ease, and even help them completely overcome, their allergic reactions, according to the results of a study led by the Johns Hopkins Children's Center and conducted jointly with Duke University.

29 Oct 2008

New drug combo stops rheumatoid arthritis in its tracks

The trial of a new drug for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has revealed that an injection once a month could stop the disease progressing.

28 Oct 2008

Scientists discover a catalytic antibody that degrades a known appetite stimulant

The antibody works against the gastric hormone ghrelin (pronounced "grell-in"), which has been linked to weight gain and fat storage through its metabolic actions. These findings point towards a potentially novel treatment for obesity that would interfere directly with the some of the biological mechanisms determining weight.

28 Oct 2008

New technique sees into tissue at greater depth, resolution

By coupling a kicked-up version of microscopy with gold nanoparticles, investigators at Duke University have been able to peer so deeply into living tissue that they can see molecules interacting.

27 Oct 2008

Respiratory syncytial virus may hide in the lungs, lead to asthma

Conventional wisdom has been that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) - a common virus that causes infection in the lungs - comes and goes in children without any long lasting impact.

27 Oct 2008

Rapid HIV testing in the emergency department boosts diagnoses, screening

One in every 50 people screened for a suspected sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the Emergency Department at Henry Ford Hospital was found to be infected with HIV using a rapid blood sample screening test.

26 Oct 2008

High dose flu vaccine boosts immune response in elderly

Giving people age 65 and older a dose four times larger than the standard flu vaccine boosts the amount of antibodies in their blood to levels considered protective against the flu, more so than the standard flu vaccine does. The findings from a study of nearly 4,000 people were presented Oct. 26 at a national meeting on infectious diseases.

26 Oct 2008

Sensitive ultrasound to spot early-stage cancer

European researchers have developed highly sensitive ultrasound equipment that can detect tiny quantities of reflective microbubbles engineered to stick to specific tumour cells. The technique should pick up tumours early and improve patients' chances of survival.

26 Oct 2008

Scientists discover how a well-known protein repairs broken DNA ends

During the life cycle of our cells, a minefield of environmental and biological assaults can lead to double-stranded DNA breaks, the most lethal and dangerous form of DNA damage. Now, in research published online this week in Nature, Rockefeller University scientists reveal that when these breaks occur, a protein called 53BP1 helps repair them by mobilizing their dangly DNA ends - findings that uncover a previously unknown aspect of how double-stranded breaks can get fixed.

26 Oct 2008

A new role for a critical DNA repair molecule in the immune system

The human immune system is a brilliantly adaptable weapon against foreign invaders. But it all depends on the work of specialized cells called lymphocytes that have made a risky evolutionary gambit to mutate their own DNA.

26 Oct 2008