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.

Combination of INF and glatiramer acetate does not reduce MS progression

A recent clinical trial found that interferonβ-1a (INF) and glatiramer acetate (GA), two of the most commonly prescribed drugs for multiple sclerosis (MS), provide no additional clinical benefit when taken together.

12 Mar 2013

Salty diet may trigger autoimmune disease

Results from two studies published in Nature show that eating a salty diet may trigger the development of autoimmunity.

7 Mar 2013

Study reveals increased dietary salt intake may lead to autoimmune disorders

Increased dietary salt intake can induce a group of aggressive immune cells that are involved in triggering and sustaining autoimmune diseases.

7 Mar 2013

Insight into how Th17 cell growth influences development of immune responses

New work from the Broad Institute's Klarman Cell Observatory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University, MIT, and Yale University expands the understanding of how one type of immune cell - known as a T helper 17 or Th17 cell - develops, and how its growth influences the development of immune responses.

7 Mar 2013

Salt can induce and worsen pathogenic immune system responses in mice

For the past few decades, health officials have been reporting increases in the incidence of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Now researchers at Yale School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and the Broad Institute have identified a prime suspect in the mystery - dietary salt.

7 Mar 2013

SIRT1 gene may be involved in development of type 1 diabetes

A JDRF-funded study out of Switzerland has shown that a single gene called SIRT1 may be involved in the development of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and other autoimmune diseases. The study, "Identification of a SIRT1 Mutation in a Family with Type 1 Diabetes," was published today in Cell Metabolism and represents the first demonstration of a monogenetic defect leading to the onset of T1D.

6 Mar 2013

Idera announces new data from IMO-3100 and IMO-8400 preclinical study on psoriasis

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the presentation of new data showing that its selective Toll-like receptor antagonists, IMO-3100 and IMO-8400, normalized the gene expression of important cytokines in a preclinical study of skin inflammation that is commonly used as a model of psoriasis.

4 Mar 2013

Mutant HSP70i protein may offer potent treatment opportunities for vitiligo

Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine researchers have developed a genetically modified protein that dramatically reverses the skin disorder vitiligo in mice, and has similar effects on immune responses in human skin tissue samples.

28 Feb 2013

Resolve Therapeutics, Takeda partner to develop compounds for treatment of lupus

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and Resolve Therapeutics, LLC today jointly announced that they have entered into a partnership to develop compounds for the treatment of lupus (also known as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, or SLE) and other autoimmune diseases.

27 Feb 2013

Avaxia initiates AVX-470 Phase 1b clinical study in ulcerative colitis

Avaxia Biologics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing gut-targeted therapeutics, announced today that the first patient has been dosed in a Phase 1b clinical study of AVX-470, an oral anti-TNF antibody, for the treatment of ulcerative colitis.

25 Feb 2013

Leading cancer researcher, Dr. Lewis Cantley, named a winner of the inaugural Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

Dr. Lewis Cantley, a leading cancer researcher credited with discovering a family of enzymes fundamental to understanding cancer, was named a winner of the inaugural Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, the world’s richest academic prize for medicine and biology. The prize, which carries a $3 million cash award, recognizes excellence in research aimed at curing intractable diseases and human life.

22 Feb 2013

Researchers identify second B-cell attachment receptor for Epstein-Barr virus

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) affects more than 90 percent of the population worldwide and was the first human virus found to be associated with cancer. Now, researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have broadened the understanding of this widespread infection with their discovery of a second B-cell attachment receptor for EBV.

21 Feb 2013

Imatinib can relieve and slow down progression of multiple sclerosis

A drug that is currently used for cancer can relieve and slow down the progression of the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis (MS) in rats, according to a new study published in PLOS ONE.

21 Feb 2013

UCB seeks FDA and EMA marketing authorization for Cimzia to treat active psoriatic arthritis

UCB announced today two new regulatory filings with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to extend the marketing authorization for Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) for the treatment of adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and for adult patients with active axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).

20 Feb 2013

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs): an interview with Dr Marco Timmers, CSO at Synthon Biopharmaceuticals

ADCs are used for a new type of targeted therapy that consists of a specific anti-cancer antibody or antibody fragment linked to a potent anti-cancer therapeutic.

20 Feb 2013

rEVO Biologics announces results from Atryn phase 3 studies on pregnant AT-deficient women

rEVO Biologics announced today the results of a major retrospective study analysis of its pivotal phase 3 studies which demonstrate that pregnant patients with hereditary antithrombin deficiency (HD) benefit from ATryn Antithrombin (Recombinant) therapy to prevent venous thromboembolic events (VTE).

16 Feb 2013

Benaroya Research Institute establishes T1D Exchange Biobank Operations Center

In a major effort to advance discoveries in type 1 diabetes research, the Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason (BRI) established the T1D Exchange Biobank Operations Center with a $4.4 million grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.

15 Feb 2013

AARDA to mark National Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month with new initiatives

March is National Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month 2013. To mark the annual event, the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association Inc. (AARDA) is encouraging the national and local media around the country to report stories on autoimmune diseases (AD) and autoimmunity as a category of disease.

13 Feb 2013

Infusions of regulatory T cells turn off autoimmune attack on joints

Farber Cancer Institute scientists have demonstrated a new strategy for treating autoimmune disease that successfully blocked the development of rheumatoid arthritis in a mouse model. They say it holds promise for improved treatment of arthritis and other autoimmune disorders in people.

10 Feb 2013

Scientists identify specific cellular events that appear key to lupus

A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has identified specific cellular events that appear key to lupus, a debilitating autoimmune disease that afflicts tens of millions of people worldwide. The findings suggest that blocking this pathway in lupus-triggering cells could be a potent weapon against the disease.

5 Feb 2013