Immune System News and Research

RSS

Research hopes to protect hundreds of newborns from severe health problems by protein in milk

An international effort led by the University of Sydney hopes to protect hundreds of Bangladeshi newborns from a host of severe health problems by assessing the effect of lactoferrin, a natural protein found in breast and cow's milk, in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy.

13 Aug 2014

Lung-damaging bacterium turns body's antibody response in its favor

A lung-damaging bacterium turns the body's antibody response in its favor, according to a study published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

13 Aug 2014

Natural gut bacterial community may affect intestinal function

Bacteria in the gut help the body to digest food, and stimulate the immune system. A PhD project at the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, examines whether modulations of the gut bacterial composition affect intestinal integrity, i.e. the ability of the body to maintain a well-regulated barrier function that hinders bacteria from entering the body unintentionally.

13 Aug 2014

Epigenetics has a large say in blood formation

Blood stem cells have the potential to turn into any type of blood cell, whether it be the oxygen-carrying red blood cells, or the many types of white blood cells of the immune system that help fight infection.

12 Aug 2014

Prominent scientists to deliver scientific presentations at ACS meeting

The Kavli Foundation Lecture series today features two prominent scientists: one in the booming area of ionic liquids, the other in medical materials.

12 Aug 2014

Bee, snake, scorpion venom could form basis of new generation of cancer-fighting drugs

Bee, snake or scorpion venom could form the basis of a new generation of cancer-fighting drugs, scientists will report here today.

12 Aug 2014

New drug spurs liver regeneration after surgery

A new drug spurs liver regeneration after surgery, according to a paper published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

12 Aug 2014

Researchers discover how arginine starvation specifically kills cancer cells

Researchers at UC Davis, City of Hope, Taipai Medical University and National Health Research Institutes in Taiwan have discovered how a drug that deprives the cells of a key amino acid specifically kills cancer cells.

12 Aug 2014

Scientists aim to understand and treat painful bladder condition

Taking advantage of technology that can analyze tissue samples and measure the activity of thousands of genes at once, scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center are on a mission to better understand and treat interstitial cystitis (IC), a painful and difficult-to-diagnose bladder condition.

12 Aug 2014

Seven physicians receive ASTRO grants to advance radiation oncology research

The American Society for Radiation Oncology has selected seven leading physicians to receive a total of $675,000 in awards and grants to advance radiation oncology research. The ASTRO Junior Faculty Career Research Training Award, the ASTRO Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Research Seed Grant and the ASTRO/Radiation Oncology Institute Comparative Effectiveness Research Award will fund studies in radiation and cancer biology, radiation physics, translational research, outcomes/health services research and comparative effectiveness research within radiation oncology.

12 Aug 2014

Bacteria may depend more on gastrointestinal age than on environmental factors in babies

Scientists believe babies are born with digestive systems containing few or no bacteria. Their guts then quickly become colonized by microbes — good and bad — as they nurse or take bottles, receive medication and even as they are passed from one adoring relative to another.

12 Aug 2014

Majority of adults need to double consumption of fruits and vegetables for crucial nutrition, health benefits

New research published in the September issue of the British Journal of Nutrition and featured in the just released Global Phytonutrient Report highlights a significant shortfall in fruit and vegetable consumption in people's diets around the world.

12 Aug 2014

Experts examine how molecule in parasitic worms can effectively treat autoimmune diseases

Experts believe a molecule in parasitic worms could help explain why worm infections can effectively treat a range of autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

12 Aug 2014

Injecting vaccine-like compound into mice effective in protecting from malaria

A study led by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers found that injecting a vaccine-like compound into mice was effective in protecting them from malaria.

12 Aug 2014

Mucosal lymphoid cells key to S. pneumoniae defence

Type 3 innate lymphoid cells in the lung mucosa are activated early in the course of infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae and are a major source of interleukin-22 production, research reveals.

11 Aug 2014

Researchers discover how immunosensory system attacks viruses on a molecular level

Our immunosensory system detects virus such as influenza via specific characteristics of viral ribonucleic acid. Previously, it was unclear how the immune system prevents viruses from simply donning molecular camouflage in order to escape detection.

11 Aug 2014

GW researcher awarded grant to develop a model system to study PN infection

According to a recent World Health Organization report of the leading causes of death worldwide, one-third of all deaths are due to infectious and parasitic diseases. There are currently no vaccines for parasitic nematode (PN), or worm infections in humans, and development of new drugs and vaccines will stall until researchers have a better understanding of PN biology.

11 Aug 2014

Antimalarial agent chloroquine normalizes abnormal tumor blood vessels

A recent study by investigators at VIB and KU Leuven has demonstrated that chloroquine also normalizes the abnormal blood vessels in tumors. This blood vessel normalization results in an increased barrier function on the one hand -- thereby blocking cancer cell dissemination and metastasis -- and in enhanced tumor perfusion on the other hand, which increases the response of the tumor to chemotherapy.

11 Aug 2014

Inovio Pharmaceuticals reports increased revenue in second quarter 2014

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2014. Total revenue was $3.8 million and $6.2 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014, compared to $786,000 and $2.2 million for the same periods in 2013.

11 Aug 2014

New method could make cashews safer for people with allergies

For the millions of adults and children in the U.S. who have to shun nuts to avoid an allergic reaction, help could be on the way. Scientists are now developing a method to process cashews - and potentially other nuts - that could make them safer to eat for people who are allergic to them.

11 Aug 2014