Autoimmune Disease News and Research

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Autoimmune Disease is a condition in which the body recognizes its own tissues as foreign and directs an immune response against them.

SCCA pioneers new transplant procedures to reduce need for matching bone marrow donors

Patients from ethnic minority and mixed-racial backgrounds are less likely to receive a lifesaving bone marrow transplant than Caucasian patients with the same disease due to lack of matching donors, according to the National Marrow Donor Program.

19 Apr 2013

AARDA creates new multi-media public service campaign for AD patients

In response to a recent study that found roughly one-third of prescriptions for autoimmune disease patients go unfilled and a high level of physician mistrust exists among AD patients, the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, Inc. has created a new multi-media public service campaign with tools designed to help patients make informed decisions about newly-prescribed therapies and treatments.

17 Apr 2013

Rheumatoid arthritis blood tests launched by Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world’s leading provider of diagnostic information services, announced the availability of two new blood tests for aiding the early diagnosis of arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disorder that can cause debilitating joint damage.

From Quest Diagnostics 9 Apr 2013

AstraZeneca reports fostamatinib Phase 3 study results for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

AstraZeneca today announced top-line results of OSKIRA-1, a Phase 3 study to assess the efficacy and safety of fostamatinib, the first oral spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor in development for rheumatoid arthritis.

6 Apr 2013

Arena Pharmaceuticals kicks off APD334 Phase 1 clinical trial for treatment of autoimmune diseases

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the initiation of dosing in a Phase 1 clinical trial of APD334, a novel oral drug candidate that targets the sphingosine 1-phosphate subtype 1 (S1P1) receptor for the potential treatment of autoimmune diseases.

6 Apr 2013

Dermatology researcher secures federal grant to explore psoriasis

A dermatology researcher at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has secured a five-year, $1.9 million federal grant to explore whether a specific molecule may play a pivotal role in the development and progression of psoriasis.

5 Apr 2013

AIM suppression could help prevent obesity-associated diseases

Obesity is linked to the widespread epidemics of diabetes and heart disease that plague society, but a lesser-known fact is that the weight can also lead to autoimmune disease.

5 Apr 2013

Research: Specific gene action during exposure to adolescent trauma is critical for development of PTSD

Research led by Ya-Ping Tang, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has found that the action of a specific gene occurring during exposure to adolescent trauma is critical for the development of adult-onset Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD.)

4 Apr 2013

Two nationally renowned specialists to research on Lupus, auto-immune disorders

In a new association of nationally renowned specialists on Lupus and auto-immune disorders, Dr. Swamy Venuturupalli , is joining with Dr. Daniel Wallace to accelerate research into those diseases along with their expanded clinical practice.

1 Apr 2013

Tecfidera gets FDA approval for adults with relapsing forms of MS

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) capsules to treat adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis.

28 Mar 2013

Eating behavior could act as defense mechanism against infections and autoimmune disorders

Neurons that control hunger in the central nervous system also regulate immune cell functions, implicating eating behavior as a defense against infections and autoimmune disease development, Yale School of Medicine researchers have found in a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

26 Mar 2013

arGEN-X advances ARGX-112 into formal preclinical development

arGEN-X, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company specialized in the discovery and development of highly differentiated human monoclonal antibody therapeutics, announces that it has progressed ARGX-112, its fourth therapeutic candidate, into formal preclinical development.

25 Mar 2013

Japan's MHLW approves XELJANZ for treatment of adults with rheumatoid arthritis

Pfizer Inc. announced today that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has approved XELJANZ (tofacitinib citrate) for the treatment of adults with rheumatoid arthritis who have had an inadequate response to existing therapies.

25 Mar 2013

New biodegradable nanoparticles deliver inflammation-resolving drugs to sites of tissue injury

A multicenter team of researchers, including scientists at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has developed biodegradable nanoparticles that are capable of delivering inflammation-resolving drugs to sites of tissue injury.

20 Mar 2013

Cytomegalovirus employs a novel trick to hide from immune detection

A virus that most people have probably never heard of, yet most of us carry, is the number 1 infectious cause of congenital birth defects. One in 750 children are born with, or develop, permanent disabilities such as hearing loss or brain damage as a result of CMV (cytomegalovirus) infection in the womb.

17 Mar 2013

AARDA launches 2013 Autoimmune Walk: Linking Together for a Cure Campaign calendar

As part of its National Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month activities, American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association has launched its 2013 "Autoimmune Walk: Linking Together for a Cure" Campaign calendar with more than double the number of events taking place this year from New York to California.

16 Mar 2013

Case Western Reserve University receives grant to research on glucose-responsive insulin

Case Western Reserve University's School of Medicine has received a nearly $1 million grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust's Type 1 diabetes program.

15 Mar 2013

H1N1 flu vaccination associated with small excess risk of acquiring Guillain-Barré syndrome, but benefits outweigh risks

A meta-analysis of safety data gathered during the 2009 H1N1 vaccination programme in the US has established that the vaccination was associated with a small excess risk – about 1.6 extra cases per one million people vaccinated – of acquiring Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disorder of the nervous system which can result in temporary or more long-lasting paralysis and infrequently death. The authors conclude that the benefits of the 2009 H1N1 vaccination campaign greatly outweighed the risks.

14 Mar 2013

UCSF study on T-cell behavior sheds light on how vaccines work

The immune system's T cells, while coordinating responses to diseases and vaccines, act like honey bees sharing information about the best honey sources, according to a new study by scientists at UC San Francisco.