Immune System News and Research

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Blocking IL-1 signalling molecule could alleviate asthma symptoms

Scientists have made a discovery that could lead to improved treatment for asthma sufferers.They have found that blocking a certain signalling molecule can alleviate symptoms such as mucus production, swelling (edema), and constriction of the airways in the lungs.

21 Apr 2016

Scientists map core genes involved during DNA uptake in strep bacteria

Bacteria possess the ability to take up DNA from their environment, a skill that enables them to acquire new genes for antibiotic resistance or to escape the immune response. Scientists have now mapped the core set of genes that are consistently controlled during DNA uptake in strep bacteria, and they hope the finding will allow them to cut off the microbes' ability to survive what doctors and nature can throw at them.

21 Apr 2016

Better way to model human immune system

Scientists at the University of Minnesota have developed a new way to study mice that better mimics the immune system of adult humans and which could significantly improve ways to test potential therapeutics. Published online today in the journal Nature, the researchers describe the limitations of laboratory mice for immunology research and reveal the benefits of what they are calling "dirty mice."

21 Apr 2016

TNF-alpha protein involved in autoimmune diseases may also promote tissue healing

As its name suggests, inflammatory bowel disease, which afflicts more than 1.6 million Americans, involves chronic inflammation of all or some of the digestive tract. An autoimmune disease known to have a strong genetic component, its symptoms are abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea, and fever and, sometimes, weight loss. IBD, which is a group of inflammatory conditions, includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

21 Apr 2016

Low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D highly prevalent among children with type 1 diabetes

During the past two decades, vitamin D status, defined as serum concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, has emerged as a predictor of key clinical outcomes including bone health, glucose metabolism, cardiovascular health, immune health and survival.

21 Apr 2016

Novel gene therapy can improve symptoms of Bubble Boy disease in young adults

Adolescents and young adults with a severe inherited immunodeficiency disorder improved following treatment with novel gene therapy developed at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. The results of this study appear today in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

21 Apr 2016

Non-invasive test to diagnose EoE could replace need for repeated endoscopy

A non-invasive test to diagnose and monitor an inflammatory disease that injures the esophagus - called eosinophilic esophagitis or EoE - would replace the need for repeated endoscopy for a growing number of children and adults with this relatively new condition.

21 Apr 2016

Using Proteomics to Understand Alzheimer’s: An Interview with Dr Renã Robinson

In our bioanalytical mass spectrometry lab we use proteomics techniques to try to understand more about Alzheimer's disease. The primary thrust of our research is that we're interested in understanding the changes that take place outside of the brain and how those correlate with what's taking place inside the brain

From Pittcon 21 Apr 2016

LAP defects may lead to lupus-like autoimmune disorder

A casual observation about size differences in mice has led to the discovery that defects in a process for digesting dead cells called LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP) may lead to a lupus-like autoimmune disorder. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists led the research, which appears as an advance online publication today in the scientific journal Nature.

21 Apr 2016

KEYNOTE-001 findings add support to pembrolizumab for advanced melanoma

A third of patients with advanced or metastatic melanoma will achieve an objective response to treatment with the programmed cell death protein inhibitor pembrolizumab, suggest KEYNOTE-001 findings, regardless of whether they have previously been treated with ipilimumab.

21 Apr 2016

Specific oral microbiome linked to pancreatic cancer risk

The presence of certain bacteria in the mouth may reveal increased risk for pancreatic cancer and enable earlier, more precise treatment. This is the main finding of a study led by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and its Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center to be presented April 19 in New Orleans at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

20 Apr 2016

New mouse model to aid in development of antiviral compounds, vaccines against Zika virus

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine have developed one of the first mouse models for the study of Zika virus. The model will allow researchers to better understand how the virus causes disease and aid in the development of antiviral compounds and vaccines.

20 Apr 2016

Two Ebola vaccine candidates show promise in clinical trial

An immunization regimen using two Ebola vaccine candidates was safe and well-tolerated and induced an immune response in healthy adult volunteers in a Phase 1 clinical trial.

20 Apr 2016

Study shows pulmonary alveolar proteinosis can be cured by single transfer of monocytes

Researchers from VIB-UGent reveal that adult circulating monocytes that get access to the macrophage niche in the liver or the lung can acquire identical tissue-specific macrophage functions and self-maintenance capacities as macrophages of embryonic origin.

20 Apr 2016

Researchers develop new mathematical model to evaluate best treatment protocol to clear infection

Antibiotic resistance is one of the most challenging problems in modern medicine. A new study by Erida Gjini and Patricia H. Brito from the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, provides a new mathematical model to evaluate the best treatment protocol to clear an infection, by taking into account the role of the host immune system.

20 Apr 2016

Study evaluates influence of midwife-led antenatal care on VBAC rates

Women who had a caesarean section in a previous pregnancy are much more likely to have a safer vaginal birth if their antenatal care is led by a midwife, according to a new study from The University of Manchester.

20 Apr 2016

New clinical study to evaluate inexpensive drug to prevent type 1 diabetes

A clinical study evaluating a new hypothesis that an inexpensive drug with a simple treatment regimen can prevent type 1 diabetes will be launched in Dundee tomorrow.

20 Apr 2016

New study suggests re-evaluation of long-held method to predict effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccine

The long-held approach to predicting seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness may need to be revisited, new research suggests. Currently, seasonal flu vaccines are designed to induce high levels of protective antibodies against hemagglutinin (HA), a protein found on the surface of the influenza virus that enables the virus to enter a human cell and initiate infection.

20 Apr 2016

Study shows beneficial effect of hNSC transplantation for TBI

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity, often causing lifelong disability for those who survive. Treatment is limited to supportive care, but stem cell therapy has received recent attention as a way to promote recovery for injuries to the central nervous system (CNS). In this study, researchers transplanted human neural stem cells (hNSCs) into the brains of mice modeled with TBI to investigate whether the hosts' immune systems and the stem cells acting in concert would enhance repair.

20 Apr 2016

Immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab shrinks tumors in patients with Merkel cell carcinoma

In a clinical trial of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab, half of 25 patients with a rare type of virus-linked skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma experienced substantial tumor shrinkage lasting nearly three times as long, on average, than with conventional chemotherapy.

20 Apr 2016

Immune System News and Research

Blocking IL-1 signalling molecule could alleviate asthma symptoms

Scientists map core genes involved during DNA uptake in strep bacteria

Better way to model human immune system

TNF-alpha protein involved in autoimmune diseases may also promote tissue healing

Low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D highly prevalent among children with type 1 diabetes

Novel gene therapy can improve symptoms of Bubble Boy disease in young adults

Non-invasive test to diagnose EoE could replace need for repeated endoscopy

Using Proteomics to Understand Alzheimer’s: An Interview with Dr Renã Robinson

LAP defects may lead to lupus-like autoimmune disorder

KEYNOTE-001 findings add support to pembrolizumab for advanced melanoma

Specific oral microbiome linked to pancreatic cancer risk

New mouse model to aid in development of antiviral compounds, vaccines against Zika virus

Two Ebola vaccine candidates show promise in clinical trial

Study shows pulmonary alveolar proteinosis can be cured by single transfer of monocytes

Researchers develop new mathematical model to evaluate best treatment protocol to clear infection

Study evaluates influence of midwife-led antenatal care on VBAC rates

New clinical study to evaluate inexpensive drug to prevent type 1 diabetes

New study suggests re-evaluation of long-held method to predict effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccine

Study shows beneficial effect of hNSC transplantation for TBI

Immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab shrinks tumors in patients with Merkel cell carcinoma

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

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