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.

Peptides on a microchip

Synthetically produced short protein fragments, or peptides, are an important tool for researchers and medics.

9 Jan 2008

Dengue seen as potential threat to US public health

A disease most Americans have never heard of could soon become more prevalent if dengue, a flu-like illness that can turn deadly, continues to expand into temperate climates and increase in severity, according to a new commentary by Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and David M. Morens, M.D., Fauci's senior scientific advisor.

9 Jan 2008

Newer meningitis vaccine MenACWY appears safe and effective for infants

A vaccine not yet licensed in the United States produces immunity against four strains of meningococcal disease and is well tolerated when administered to infants, according to a study in the January 9/16 issue of JAMA.

9 Jan 2008

Potential alternative to the existing smallpox vaccine

University of California, Irvine infectious disease researchers have shown the effectiveness of a potential alternative to the existing smallpox vaccine that can replace the current biodefense stockpile for this lethal virus.

8 Jan 2008

Oncolytics Biotech announces new reovirus, cyclophosphamide research

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. has reported that a research group led by Dr. Richard Vile of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, published the results of its work testing the antitumor efficacy and safety of various combinations of reovirus and cyclophosphamide in vivo.

8 Jan 2008

Genmab announces HuMax-CD32b pre-clinical program

Genmab A/S has announced a new pre-clinical antibody program called HuMax-CD32b. This fully human IgG1,k antibody targets the CD32b receptor found on immune cells and hematological tumors.

7 Jan 2008

New flu vaccine protects against all strains including bird flu

A new flu vaccine which protects against all strains of influenza has had promising results in trials.

6 Jan 2008

Sanofi Pasteur enters agreement eith Crucell for next-generation biologicals against rabies

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group, announced today that it has signed an exclusive collaboration and commercialization agreement with Crucell N.V. for Crucell's rabies monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), next-generation rabies biologicals to be used in association with rabies vaccine for post-exposure prophylaxis against this fatal disease.

4 Jan 2008

New clues for an effective AIDS vaccine

Two simple changes in its outer envelope protein could render the AIDS virus vulnerable to attack by the immune system, according to research from Kenya and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center published in PLoS Medicine.

4 Jan 2008

Protein's new role discovered in autoimmune disease

Investigators at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have identified the previously unknown role of a chemical 'messenger' leading to autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

3 Jan 2008

Protein a possible key to allergy and asthma control

Activating a protein found on some immune cells seems to halt the cells' typical job of spewing out substances that launch allergic reactions, a study by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests.

3 Jan 2008

Two genes are important key to regulating immune response

A research team at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City has identified two genes that may be crucial to the production of an immune system cytokine called interleukin-10 (IL-10)

2 Jan 2008

Study shows that antiangiogenic agent delays progression of advanced breast cancer

The positive results of the first nationwide clinical study showing the benefits of an antiangiogenic agent in breast cancer therapy are reported in the Dec. 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

28 Dec 2007

New immune system discovery will help fight hay fever and other allergies

A mechanism which can lead to hay fever and other allergic reactions, by preventing the immune system from regulating itself properly, has been discovered by scientists.

28 Dec 2007

Bevacizumab found to improve survival for patients with advanced breast cancer

Inhibiting the growth of blood vessels that supply tumors slows the progression of metastatic breast cancer according to results of a large clinical trial of Avastin, an anti-angiogenic therapy.

28 Dec 2007

Researchers prevent muscle weakness caused by myasthenia gravis

Severe muscle weakness caused by myasthenia gravis - a highly debilitating autoimmune disorder - can be prevented or reversed by blocking a key step in the immune response that brings on the disease, researchers at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine have found.

20 Dec 2007

Microchip blood test detects cancers earlier

A new blood test which uses microchip technology may offer doctors the opportunity to detect cancers earlier and also monitor cancer treatment.

20 Dec 2007

Rituximab may be promising treatment for diabetes

An antibody used to treat certain cancers and rheumatoid arthritis appears to greatly delay type 1 diabetes in mice, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

20 Dec 2007

Intracellular bacterial communities in cystitis; rifapentine cures TB in mouse model; and more

A study published this week in the open access journal PLoS Medicine presents convincing evidence that intracellular bacterial communities (IBCs) commonly exist in women with bladder infections and may contribute to the recurrence of these infections.

18 Dec 2007