Immune System News and Research

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Human malaria parasite molecules share key gene segments with chimp, gorilla malaria parasites

The malaria parasite molecules associated with severe disease and death--those that allow the parasite to escape recognition by the immune system--have been shown to share key gene segments with chimp and gorilla malaria parasites, which are separated by several millions of years, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

12 Oct 2015

Antiviral agent protects rhesus monkeys from deadly Ebola virus

Rhesus monkeys were completely protected from the deadly Ebola virus when treated three days after infection with a compound that blocks the virus's ability to replicate. These encouraging preclinical results suggest the compound, known as GS-5734, should be further developed as a potential treatment, according to research findings to be presented tomorrow at the IDWeek conference.

12 Oct 2015

UV robots help reduce rates of C. diff transmission among cancer inpatients

Robots are capable of all sorts of tasks to help better treat cancer: They connect oncologists to patients remotely, make incisions, staple them shut, deliver "nano" therapies--and they clean rooms. New research from Penn Medicine infection control specialists found that ultraviolet (UV) robots helped reduce the rates transmission of the common bacterial infection known as Clostridium difficile among cancer inpatients - mostly blood cancer patients, a group more vulnerable to hospital-acquired infections - by 25 percent. The interventions also saved about $150,000 in annual direct medical costs.

12 Oct 2015

Glycan binding proteins modify parasite infection in cells of the heart muscle

Chagas disease is the main cause of infectious heart disease in Latin America. Researchers from the INGEBI and IBYME Institutes in Argentina explored the effect of glycan binding protein interactions between the human host and Typanosoma cruzi parasite. They found that a glycan binding protein expressed in humans modified the infection in cells of the heart muscle, showing the importance of galectins in the response to parasite infection.

12 Oct 2015

Single drop of blood in the brain can activate autoimmune response akin to multiple sclerosis

A new study from the Gladstone Institutes shows that a single drop of blood in the brain is sufficient to activate an autoimmune response akin to multiple sclerosis (MS). This is the first demonstration that introduction of blood in the healthy brain is sufficient to cause peripheral immune cells to enter the brain, which then go on to cause brain damage.

12 Oct 2015

Discovery may help scientists to better predict how quickly HIV virus returns after patients stop treatment

Scientists are now better able to predict how quickly the HIV virus will return after individuals stop treatment following a discovery by researchers at UNSW Australia and the University of Oxford.

12 Oct 2015

ImmunArray launches SLE-key Rule-Out test for lupus patients

Following a limited three-month trial period in which more than one hundred and fifty patients with lupus-like symptoms were tested for the difficult-to-diagnose disease, a new blood test for lupus is being rolled out nationally.

12 Oct 2015

Phase III studies show Roche's ocrelizumab reduces relapse rate, delays disability progression in MS patients

Three phase III studies being presented at the European Committee for Treatment Research in Multiple Sclerosis congress demonstrate that treating MS with ocrelizumab reduces relapse rate and delay onset of disability progression compared to interferon beta-1a in relapsing forms of MS and disability progression in primary progressive MS compared to placebo.

12 Oct 2015

Study looks at survival benefits of surgical resection for melanoma patients with abdominal metastases

Patients with metastatic melanoma who undergo surgery to remove lesions that have spread into the abdomen live more than twice as long as those treated with drug therapy alone, according to novel new research by a North Shore-LIJ Health System cancer surgeon.

12 Oct 2015

FDA approves Opdivo to treat patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Opdivo (nivolumab) to treat patients with advanced (metastatic) non-small cell lung cancer whose disease progressed during or after platinum-based chemotherapy.

11 Oct 2015

Research finding offers hope for more powerful aspirin-like drugs

Researchers have found that salicylic acid targets the activities of HMGB1, an inflammatory protein associated with a wide variety of diseases, offering hope that more powerful aspirin-like drugs may be developed.

11 Oct 2015

Roche to acquire biotechnology company, Adheron Therapeutics

Adheron Therapeutics, a privately held biotechnology company based in Berkeley, California, United States, announced today that it has agreed to be acquired by Roche.

9 Oct 2015

Safety and immunogenicity clinical trial of Ebola vaccine regimen starts in Sierra Leone

Johnson & Johnson today announced the start of a safety and immunogenicity clinical trial in Sierra Leone of a preventive Ebola vaccine regimen in development at its Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies.

9 Oct 2015

Gene therapy prevents neuronal death, disease effects in experimental model of PD

An estimated seven to ten million people worldwide are living with Parkinson's disease (PD), which is an incurable and progressive disease of the nervous system affecting movement and cognitive function. More than half of PD patients develop progressive disease showing signs of dementia similar to Alzheimer's disease.

9 Oct 2015

FDA approves Promacta to treat pediatric patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Promacta (eltrombopag) to treat low blood platelet count in pediatric patients – ages one year and older – with a rare blood disorder called chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Promacta can be used in these children when they have not achieved an appropriate response using other ITP medicines or surgery to remove the spleen.

9 Oct 2015

Researchers reveal new subtypes of invasive lobular carcinoma

Researchers from the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and other academic centers have revealed new subtypes of invasive lobular carcinoma, the second most commonly diagnosed invasive breast cancer type. The findings could lead to personalized treatment approaches for the disease.

9 Oct 2015

Research finding could lead to new treatments for celiac disease

A team of researchers has discovered that bacteria found in the gut may contribute to the body's response to gluten, an important finding that could lead to new treatments for celiac disease.

9 Oct 2015

Manchester researchers demonstrate safety, effectiveness of eltrombopag treatment in children with ITP

Researchers in Manchester have demonstrated for the first time the relative safety and effectiveness of treatment, eltrombopag, in children with persistent or chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), as part of an international duo of studies.

9 Oct 2015

FDA grants accelerated approval for Keytruda to treat patients with advanced NSCLC

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today granted accelerated approval for Keytruda (pembrolizumab) to treat patients with advanced (metastatic) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease has progressed after other treatments and with tumors that express a protein called PD-L1. Keytruda is approved for use with a companion diagnostic, the PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx test, the first test designed to detect PD-L1 expression in non-small cell lung tumors.

9 Oct 2015

Immunovia and OHSU team up to validate, commercialize blood test for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer

Immunovia AB and the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University formed a collaboration to confirm, validate and commercialize a blood test for the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. The test called IMMray™ PanCan-d analyses a patient's immune system for early signs of disease. The collaboration will also enable researchers to explore biomarkers for a number of other cancer types.

9 Oct 2015

Immune System News and Research

Human malaria parasite molecules share key gene segments with chimp, gorilla malaria parasites

Antiviral agent protects rhesus monkeys from deadly Ebola virus

UV robots help reduce rates of C. diff transmission among cancer inpatients

Glycan binding proteins modify parasite infection in cells of the heart muscle

Single drop of blood in the brain can activate autoimmune response akin to multiple sclerosis

Discovery may help scientists to better predict how quickly HIV virus returns after patients stop treatment

ImmunArray launches SLE-key Rule-Out test for lupus patients

Phase III studies show Roche's ocrelizumab reduces relapse rate, delays disability progression in MS patients

Study looks at survival benefits of surgical resection for melanoma patients with abdominal metastases

FDA approves Opdivo to treat patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Research finding offers hope for more powerful aspirin-like drugs

Roche to acquire biotechnology company, Adheron Therapeutics

Safety and immunogenicity clinical trial of Ebola vaccine regimen starts in Sierra Leone

Gene therapy prevents neuronal death, disease effects in experimental model of PD

FDA approves Promacta to treat pediatric patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura

Researchers reveal new subtypes of invasive lobular carcinoma

Research finding could lead to new treatments for celiac disease

Manchester researchers demonstrate safety, effectiveness of eltrombopag treatment in children with ITP

FDA grants accelerated approval for Keytruda to treat patients with advanced NSCLC

Immunovia and OHSU team up to validate, commercialize blood test for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer

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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