Immune System News and Research

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Comb-shaped polymers efficiently protect proteins in vivo

An enzyme that usually triggers strong allergic reactions now circulates in the veins of a group of mice without alerting the immune system. As INRS Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications Research Centre Professor Marc A. Gauthier explains in an article published in the journal Nature Communications, a polymer was used to camouflage the enzyme before it was injected into the rodents. This was achieved by coating the enzyme to avoid an immune response in a manner that does not compromise its activity.

6 Dec 2014

Study sheds new light on well-known mechanism required for immune response

A new study published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America sheds new light on a well-known mechanism required for the immune response. Researchers at the IRCM, led by Tarik Möröy, PhD, identified a protein that controls the activity of the p53 tumour suppressor protein known as the "guardian of the genome".

6 Dec 2014

Promising anti-malarial compound uses novel mechanism to kill malaria parasite

An international research collaborative has determined that a promising anti-malarial compound tricks the immune system to rapidly destroy red blood cells infected with the malaria parasite but leave healthy cells unharmed. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists led the study, which appears in the current online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

5 Dec 2014

Researchers discover essential role of intestinal immune system in controlling energy metabolism

A group of UCL researchers (Louvain Drug Research Institute) identified an unsuspected mechanism impacting the development of obesity and diabetes type 2 after following a diet with a high dose of fat nutrition.

5 Dec 2014

Simple treatments for Ebola patients not given sufficient priority

The widespread misconception that there are no proven treatments for Ebola virus disease has meant that simple treatments – especially intravenous fluids and electrolytes, which could reduce the number of deaths caused by the virus – have been neglected, according to a new Comment, published in The Lancet.

5 Dec 2014

Scientists seek to improve stem cell transplant outcomes using DNA sequencing, mathematical modeling

Is the human immune system similar to the weather, a seemingly random yet dynamical system that can be modeled based on past conditions to predict future states? Scientists at VCU Massey Cancer Center's award-winning Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program believe it is, and they recently published several studies that support the possibility of using next-generation DNA sequencing and mathematical modeling to not only understand the variability observed in clinical outcomes of stem cell transplantation, but also to provide a theoretical framework to make transplantation a possibility for more patients who do not have a related donor.

5 Dec 2014

Scientists uphold mouse model of human disease, but pinpoint vital differences in gene expression

Scientists at Penn State College of Medicine, working alongside an international team of researchers, have produced the most complete encyclopedia of functional elements in the mouse genome to date and compared it to the human genome.

5 Dec 2014

Research to Prevent Blindness, IRRF partner to advance knowledge about AMD

Research to Prevent Blindness, the leading eye research foundation, is partnering with the International Retinal Research Foundation to advance knowledge about age-related macular degeneration (AMD) through novel stem cell research.

5 Dec 2014

Melbourne researcher wins Sornchai Looareesuwan Medal for research on malaria

Melbourne researcher Professor Alan Cowman has won the Sornchai Looareesuwan Medal 2014 for his significant contributions to understanding how the malaria parasite causes disease and for his search for potential malaria vaccines.

4 Dec 2014

Massage therapy: A natural way to strengthen the immune system this flu season

As seasons change our bodies become more susceptible to cold and flu. Massage therapy is a natural way to strengthen the immune system at this vulnerable time, especially if it is already weakened by stress, fatigue or poor nutrition.

4 Dec 2014

New technology reveals cellular gene transcription process in detail

A new technology that reveals cellular gene transcription in greater detail has been developed by Dr. Daniel Kaufmann of the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre and the research team he directed. "This new research tool offers us a more profound view of the immune responses that are involved in a range of diseases, such as HIV infection. At the level of gene transcription, this had been difficult, complex and costly to do with current technologies, such as microscopy," explained the University of Montreal professor.

4 Dec 2014

Scientists report new approach to defeating asthma by targeting allergen

Current asthma treatments can alleviate wheezing, coughing and other symptoms felt by millions of Americans every year, but they don't get to the root cause of the condition. Now, for the first time, scientists are reporting a new approach to defeating asthma by targeting the trigger -- the allergen -- before it can spark an attack. They describe their new compound, which they tested on rats, in ACS' Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

3 Dec 2014

Joint therapy to counter HIV and HCV increases chance of success

A Spanish researcher has collaborated on a mathematical analysis, recently published in the journal 'Science Translational Medicine', which concludes that joint therapy to counter HIV in patients who also have hepatitis C increases the chance of success in the fight against both infections. Between eight and nine million people worldwide simultaneously suffer from AIDS and hepatitis C.

3 Dec 2014

Blue light can knock circadian rhythms off-kilter, study finds

A study funded by the National Institutes of Health is unraveling the mystery of how blue light from residential and commercial lighting, electronic devices, outdoor lights and billboards can throw off-kilter the natural body clock of humans, plants and animals, leading to disease.

3 Dec 2014

SAFit-ligands provide foundation for novel treatment of stress-related psychiatric disorders

The FK506-binding protein 51 (FKBP51) is an established risk factor for stress-related psychiatric disorders such as major depression. Drug discovery for FKBP51 has been hampered by the inability to pharmacologically differentiate against the very similar functional counterplayer FKBP52.

3 Dec 2014

Abnormal activation of cell death pathways may lead to inflammatory skin diseases

Inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis may result from abnormal activation of cell death pathways previously believed to suppress inflammation, a surprise finding that could help to develop new ways of treating these diseases.

3 Dec 2014

InnaVirVax receives DSMB recommendation to pursue VAC-3S Phase 2 study in HIV

InnaVirVax, a biopharmaceutical company specialized in research and development on therapeutic and diagnostic solutions for diseases linked to immune dysregulation, today announces the recommendation of its independent Data Safety and Monitoring Board (DSMB) to pursue the Phase 2 study (IPROTECT1) of VAC-3S according to the planned protocol.

2 Dec 2014

Researchers identify possible prognostic biomarker in triple-negative breast cancer

"Triple-negative" breast cancer (TNBC) occurs in patients whose cells do not express receptors for estrogen, progesterone, and/or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (ER-/PR-/HER2-).

2 Dec 2014

Apellis Pharmaceuticals completes $33M private placement of Series C Preferred Stock

Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading biotechnology company applying immunotherapy to autoimmune disease, today announced that it has completed a $33M private placement of its Series C Preferred Stock.

2 Dec 2014

New therapeutic targets can prevent scarring within transplanted kidneys

Kidneys donated by people born with a small variation in the code of a key gene may be more likely, once in the transplant recipient, to accumulate scar tissue that contributes to kidney failure, according to a study led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

2 Dec 2014

Immune System News and Research

Comb-shaped polymers efficiently protect proteins in vivo

Study sheds new light on well-known mechanism required for immune response

Promising anti-malarial compound uses novel mechanism to kill malaria parasite

Researchers discover essential role of intestinal immune system in controlling energy metabolism

Simple treatments for Ebola patients not given sufficient priority

Scientists seek to improve stem cell transplant outcomes using DNA sequencing, mathematical modeling

Scientists uphold mouse model of human disease, but pinpoint vital differences in gene expression

Research to Prevent Blindness, IRRF partner to advance knowledge about AMD

Melbourne researcher wins Sornchai Looareesuwan Medal for research on malaria

Massage therapy: A natural way to strengthen the immune system this flu season

New technology reveals cellular gene transcription process in detail

Scientists report new approach to defeating asthma by targeting allergen

Joint therapy to counter HIV and HCV increases chance of success

Blue light can knock circadian rhythms off-kilter, study finds

SAFit-ligands provide foundation for novel treatment of stress-related psychiatric disorders

Abnormal activation of cell death pathways may lead to inflammatory skin diseases

InnaVirVax receives DSMB recommendation to pursue VAC-3S Phase 2 study in HIV

Researchers identify possible prognostic biomarker in triple-negative breast cancer

Apellis Pharmaceuticals completes $33M private placement of Series C Preferred Stock

New therapeutic targets can prevent scarring within transplanted kidneys

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