Immune System News and Research

RSS

Discovery could lead to new way to combat cancer

One way to defeat an opponent is to cut off its supply lines. Tumors are no different. The supply lines for tumors are the blood vessels that ferry oxygen and nutrients to the cells. Restricting the blood vessels that feed tumor cells can shrink the tumor. A cross-institutional international team of scientists recently discovered a new, important step of the process that grows new blood vessels, a discovery that could lead to a new way to combat cancer.

11 Dec 2013

Duke University receives $2.9M grant to develop HIV vaccine candidate

Duke University has received a grant of up to $2.9 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to produce an HIV vaccine candidate that will be tested in humans.

10 Dec 2013

Immunologists receive $4.8M grant to target multiple diseases by manipulating enzyme

Immunologists Barbara A. Osborne and Lisa M. Minter at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, as part of a multi-institution research team, will share a five-year, $4.8 million National Cancer Institute grant to target multiple diseases including cancer, Alzheimer's and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) by manipulating an enzyme that activates over 100 different protein substrates in the body.

10 Dec 2013

Researchers explain why anti-tumor activity of specific immune cells suppress during tumor growth

The Leuven-based VIB researchers have revealed a mechanism that explains why the anti-tumor activity of specific immune cells called macrophages is suppressed during tumor growth.

10 Dec 2013

Study reveals that germ-free mice are susceptible to infection with foodborne pathogen

When it comes to fighting off pathogens like Listeria, your best allies may be the billions of microorganisms that line your gut, according to new research published in mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

10 Dec 2013

Scientists discover how lymphotoxin controls production of immunoglobulins in gut

Lymphotoxin is a cytokine, or intercellular messenger, and plays an important role in the immunological balance of the gastrointestinal tract. It regulates the immune system of the digestive tract, which is made up of immune cells, immunoglobulins (antibodies) as well as intestinal bacteria.

10 Dec 2013

Concussive brain injuries can lead to depressive behaviors later in life

A head injury can lead immune-system brain cells to go on "high alert" and overreact to later immune challenges by becoming excessively inflammatory - a condition linked with depressive complications, a new animal study suggests.

10 Dec 2013

IBN and IBM discover new medical application for converted PET bottles

Researchers at Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) and California's IBM Research - Almaden (IBM) have discovered a new, potentially life-saving application for polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is widely used to make plastic bottles.

10 Dec 2013

Study offers new insight into benefits of vitamin D in people with multiple sclerosis

In mice with a rodent form of multiple sclerosis (MS), vitamin D appears to block damage-causing immune cells from migrating to the central nervous system, offering a potential explanation for why the so-called "sunshine vitamin" may prevent or ease symptoms of the neurodegenerative disease, according to results of a study at Johns Hopkins.

9 Dec 2013

MUC5B protein plays key role in many lung-related ailments

An international team of researchers has zeroed in on a protein that plays a key role in many lung-related ailments, from seasonal coughing and hacking to more serious diseases such as MRSA infections and cystic fibrosis.

9 Dec 2013

Increased inflammation in prostate may predict reduced risk for cancer

Doctors at the North Shore-LIJ Health System have discovered that increased inflammation in the prostate may predict reduced risk for prostate cancer. The findings are published online in CANCER.

9 Dec 2013

Signs of inflammation in man’s prostate biopsy may indicate reduced risk

Signs of inflammation in a man’s prostate biopsy may indicate he has a reduced risk of subsequently being diagnosed with prostate cancer in a future biopsy. That’s the conclusion of a new study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

9 Dec 2013

CAR therapy shows potential for advancing treatment of patients with ALL and CLL

Novartis is highlighting new research from members of the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine on the investigational chimeric antigen receptor therapy, CTL019. Several studies being presented at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting add to the scientific understanding of CTL019 in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia and build on earlier research findings.

9 Dec 2013

Children and adults with high-risk ALL benefit from novel, personalized cell therapy

Nearly 90 percent of children and adults with a highly aggressive form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia showed no evidence of cancer after receiving a novel, personalized cell therapy that reprograms a patient's immune system. In pilot studies of bioengineered T cells that attack leukemia, 24 of 27 patients (89%) experienced complete responses within 28 days after treatment. In all, 27 patients received the treatment--22 children treated at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and five adults treated at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

9 Dec 2013

Researchers identify central switch by which HDL controls inflammatory response

High-density lipoprotein, known colloquially as "good cholesterol", protects against dangerous deposits in the arteries. An important function of HDL is its anti-inflammatory properties. An international research team at the Institute of Innate Immunity at the University Hospital of Bonn and the LIMES Institute at the University of Bonn has identified a central switch by which HDL controls the inflammatory response. The results are presented in the current issue of "Nature Immunology".

9 Dec 2013

Malaria cases in the U.S. rising due to international travel, inadequate use of prevention methods

The number of malaria cases in the United States is rising, a trend that can be linked to the increasing amount of international travel and inadequate use of prevention methods.

9 Dec 2013

New form of gene therapy shows promising outcomes for "bubble boy" disease

Researchers reported promising outcomes data for the first group of boys with X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome (SCID-X1), a fatal genetic immunodeficiency also known as "bubble boy" disease, who were treated as part of an international clinical study of a new form of gene therapy. The mechanism used to deliver the gene therapy is designed to prevent the serious complication of leukemia that arose a decade ago in a similar trial in Europe, when one-quarter of boys treated developed the blood cancer.

9 Dec 2013

Genetically engineered cell therapies demonstrate early efficacy, safety in patients with blood disorders

A series of advancements in genetically engineered cell therapies demonstrate early efficacy and safety in patients with blood disorders for whom standard treatments have been unsuccessful, according to data showcased today during the 55th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans.

9 Dec 2013

Bortezomib reduces GVHD, boosts survival for patients receiving stem-cell transplants

Adding bortezomib (Velcade) to standard preventive therapy for graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) results in improved outcomes for patients receiving stem-cell transplants from mismatched and unrelated donors, according to researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

9 Dec 2013

Researchers identify mechanism implicated in brain cancer and drug that decreases brain tumor growth

Researchers at the University of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) have made a discovery that could lead to better treatment for patients suffering from brain cancer.

9 Dec 2013

Immune System News and Research

Discovery could lead to new way to combat cancer

Duke University receives $2.9M grant to develop HIV vaccine candidate

Immunologists receive $4.8M grant to target multiple diseases by manipulating enzyme

Researchers explain why anti-tumor activity of specific immune cells suppress during tumor growth

Study reveals that germ-free mice are susceptible to infection with foodborne pathogen

Scientists discover how lymphotoxin controls production of immunoglobulins in gut

Concussive brain injuries can lead to depressive behaviors later in life

IBN and IBM discover new medical application for converted PET bottles

Study offers new insight into benefits of vitamin D in people with multiple sclerosis

MUC5B protein plays key role in many lung-related ailments

Increased inflammation in prostate may predict reduced risk for cancer

Signs of inflammation in man’s prostate biopsy may indicate reduced risk

CAR therapy shows potential for advancing treatment of patients with ALL and CLL

Children and adults with high-risk ALL benefit from novel, personalized cell therapy

Researchers identify central switch by which HDL controls inflammatory response

Malaria cases in the U.S. rising due to international travel, inadequate use of prevention methods

New form of gene therapy shows promising outcomes for "bubble boy" disease

Genetically engineered cell therapies demonstrate early efficacy, safety in patients with blood disorders

Bortezomib reduces GVHD, boosts survival for patients receiving stem-cell transplants

Researchers identify mechanism implicated in brain cancer and drug that decreases brain tumor growth

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

Latest News