Immune System News and Research

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DEK gene present in plasma can help predict outcomes for patients with head and neck cancer

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have discovered that a human cancer-causing gene, called DEK, can be detected in the plasma of head and neck cancer patients. DEK may help doctors understand how a person's immune system could be used to treat cancer or predict outcomes for patients.

18 Feb 2016

Specialised white blood cell in birds can destroy fatal fungal infection

Scientists have discovered that a specialised white blood cell found in birds can destroy a potentially fatal fungal infection which affects more than one million people every year.

18 Feb 2016

Sanford Health clinical trial testing effectiveness of investigational cancer drug nivolumab

People with Merkel cell, gynecological, gastric and head and neck cancers may be eligible to participate in a clinical trial at Sanford Health testing the effectiveness of an investigational drug called nivolumab.

18 Feb 2016

New treatment protects mice from MERS infection

In a new study, University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers have had promising results with a new treatment for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). The study, published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine, found a new treatment that protected mice from MERS infection.

18 Feb 2016

Discovery could lead to more effective vaccines, personalised therapies for TB

Tuberculosis (TB) used to kill one in seven people around the world before the advent of antibiotics. However the increasing prevalence of multi-drug resistant TB means that doctors are running out of options in trying to combat this bacterium.

18 Feb 2016

New drug combination shows promise for patients with non-small cell lung cancer

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in the United States resulting in more than 158,000 deaths each year. With a 5-year survival rate at only 18 percent, the development of new and improved treatment options is needed.

18 Feb 2016

Study provides new paradigm for understanding role of immune system in type 1 diabetes

Researchers from The University of Colorado, in collaboration with St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, have identified what may be the initial target of the immune response that causes type 1 diabetes.

18 Feb 2016

Autoantibodies can potentially detect lung cancer at early stage

Preliminary research has identified autoantibodies, immune proteins found in the blood specific for one's own proteins, that can potentially detect lung cancer early by distinguishing between smokers with or without lung cancer and also discriminate between lung cancer and low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) detected non-cancerous lung lesions.

18 Feb 2016

New optogenetic technology could turn on immune cells to attack melanoma tumors

A new optogenetic technology developed at UMass Medical School, called optogenetic immunomodulation, is capable of turning on immune cells to attack melanoma tumors in mice. Using near-infrared light, UMMS researchers have shown they can selectively activate an immune response by controlling the flow of calcium ions into the cell. This breakthrough could lead to less invasive, and more controlled and selective, immunotherapies for cancer treatment.

17 Feb 2016

Wistar researchers find potential way for using STAT3 inhibitors to stop cancer progression

Imagine developing a drug designed to inhibit a protein that helps cancer cells proliferate and survive only to find that the drug does not perform very well in the clinic. This was the dilemma faced by scientists researching inhibitors of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT3), a protein that controls transcription by the STAT3 gene.

17 Feb 2016

Small peptide TAxI holds promise for carrying biologic drugs into spinal cord

A small peptide dubbed TAxI is living up to its name. Recent studies show it to be an effective vehicle for shuttling functional proteins, such as active enzymes, into the spinal cord after a muscle injection.

17 Feb 2016

Study reveals another clue to workings of trachoma

Another clue to the workings of trachoma - the world's leading infectious cause of blindness - has been revealed in a new study published in BMC Infectious Diseases. Researchers identified markers of genetic regulation present in the early stages of infection that could predispose children to developing the condition in its long-term, severe form.

17 Feb 2016

WRAIR begins Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate MERS vaccine candidate

The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research began vaccinations today in a Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and immune response of a vaccine candidate to prevent Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

17 Feb 2016

Study highlights dual role of cytokine in inflammatory bowel disease

Small proteins that affect communication between cells play an important role in regulating inflammation that occurs during inflammatory bowel disease, according to researchers at Georgia State University, Emory University, the University of Michigan and Amgen, a biotechnology company.

17 Feb 2016

New vaccine strategy may curb addiction, prevent fatal overdoses

With use of synthetic opioid "designer drugs" on the rise, scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have a new strategy to curb addiction and even prevent fatal overdoses.

17 Feb 2016

New UNC School of Medicine study shows how some bacteria can spread throughout the body

Bacteria have evolved thousands of clever tactics for invading our bodies while evading our natural defenses. Now, UNC School of Medicine scientists studying one of the world's most virulent pathogens and a separate very common bacterium have discovered a new way that some bacteria can spread rapidly throughout the body - by hitchhiking on our own immune cells.

16 Feb 2016

Vanderbilt nephrologist building implantable artificial kidney with microchip filters

Vanderbilt University Medical Center nephrologist and associate professor of medicine Dr. William H. Fissell IV, is making major progress on a first-of-its kind device to free kidney patients from dialysis. He is building an implantable artificial kidney with microchip filters and living kidney cells that will be powered by a patient's own heart.

16 Feb 2016

Co-parenting a child has bigger impact on the immune system than flu vaccine or gastroenteritis

Raising a child together has a greater effect on your immune system than the seasonal 'flu vaccine or travellers' gastroenteritis, a study by researchers at VIB and KU Leuven in Belgium and the Babraham Institute in the UK has found.

16 Feb 2016

Study: Delirium, muscle weakness and other neurological complications of sepsis poorly understood

Delirium, muscle weakness and other neurological complications of sepsis often are overlooked and poorly understood, according to a study published in the journal Current Neurology and Neurosciences Reports.

16 Feb 2016

NAU researcher calls for greater public awareness of cytomegalovirus

As the Zika virus continues to spread across the globe, and gain worldwide attention for its' potential birth defects, an NAU researcher is calling for greater public awareness of cytomegalovirus—the most common viral cause of birth defects in the United States.

16 Feb 2016

Immune System News and Research

DEK gene present in plasma can help predict outcomes for patients with head and neck cancer

Specialised white blood cell in birds can destroy fatal fungal infection

Sanford Health clinical trial testing effectiveness of investigational cancer drug nivolumab

New treatment protects mice from MERS infection

Discovery could lead to more effective vaccines, personalised therapies for TB

New drug combination shows promise for patients with non-small cell lung cancer

Study provides new paradigm for understanding role of immune system in type 1 diabetes

Autoantibodies can potentially detect lung cancer at early stage

New optogenetic technology could turn on immune cells to attack melanoma tumors

Wistar researchers find potential way for using STAT3 inhibitors to stop cancer progression

Small peptide TAxI holds promise for carrying biologic drugs into spinal cord

Study reveals another clue to workings of trachoma

WRAIR begins Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate MERS vaccine candidate

Study highlights dual role of cytokine in inflammatory bowel disease

New vaccine strategy may curb addiction, prevent fatal overdoses

New UNC School of Medicine study shows how some bacteria can spread throughout the body

Vanderbilt nephrologist building implantable artificial kidney with microchip filters

Co-parenting a child has bigger impact on the immune system than flu vaccine or gastroenteritis

Study: Delirium, muscle weakness and other neurological complications of sepsis poorly understood

NAU researcher calls for greater public awareness of cytomegalovirus

Understanding the DNA Damage Response in Innate Immunity eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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