Interleukin 6 News and Research

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Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the "IL6" gene. IL-6 is an interleukin that acts as both a pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine. It is secreted by T cells and macrophages to stimulate immune response to trauma, especially burns or other tissue damage leading to inflammation.

Combined use of two existing drugs appears to slow cancer's tendency to spread, study shows

A team led by Johns Hopkins researchers has discovered a biochemical signaling process that causes densely packed cancer cells to break away from a tumor and spread the disease elsewhere in the body.

26 May 2017

Innate genetic advantage contributes to better outcomes in newborn infant girls than boys, research shows

Newborn infant girls have better outcomes than their male counterparts due to an innate genetic advantage in responding to acute infections, according to new research from RCSI.

26 May 2017

Trial shows promising results for new medicine in treating severe asthma patients

A trial led by a McMaster University respirology professor shows promising results for a new medicine for severe asthma patients.

25 May 2017

Investigational biologic may reduce need for systemic corticosteroids in patients with severe asthma

An investigational biologic may reduce the need for adults with severe asthma to take an oral corticosteroid to control their asthma, according to a randomized controlled trial presented at the ATS 2017 International Conference.

22 May 2017

Researchers discover how the injured brain alerts immune system

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have identified a new way that cells in the brain alert the rest of the body to recruit immune cells when the brain is injured. The work was completed in mouse models that mimic infection, stroke or trauma in humans.

18 May 2017

Study findings could pave way for better drugs to fight against parasitic infections

Immune cells, called macrophages, may rely on a compound to signal an attack to beat back attacks from parasitic worms, according to an international team of researchers, including Zissis C. Chroneos, associate professor of pediatrics, and microbiology and immunology at Penn State College of Medicine.

12 May 2017

Scientists reveal how immune cells activate to kill parasitic worms

An international team of researchers including Zissis C. Chroneos, associate professor of pediatrics, and microbiology and immunology at Penn State College of Medicine, reveals how immune cells called macrophages activate to kill parasitic worms.

11 May 2017

UC researchers find stem cell vaccine to enhance immune responses against tumors in animal models

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have found that a cancer stem cell vaccine, engineered to express a pro-inflammatory protein called interleukin-15 (IL-15) and its receptor (IL-15Ralpha), caused T cell production in animal models and enhanced immune responses against tumors.

10 May 2017

Study: Brain injury can increase impulsivity problems in rats

New research from the University of British Columbia confirms for the first time that even mild brain injury can result in impulse control problems in rats.

8 May 2017

‘Geneva signature’ evaluates safety and immunogenicity of promising anti-Ebola virus vaccine

An international team based at Geneva University Hospitals and at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, has succeeded in defining a "signature" composed of a small number of inflammatory markers that can be monitored in order to understand how a promising anti-Ebola virus vaccine stimulates the immune system.

19 Apr 2017

Researchers discover molecular compound that targets nucleus of allergen-sensitized cells

Transcription factors, the tiny proteins that switch genes on or off in the nucleus of cells, are considered unreachable molecular targets for drugs attempting to treat medical conditions.

18 Apr 2017

Air pollution may directly affect biology of upper airways to cause chronic sinus problems

Although human population studies have linked air pollution to chronic inflammation of nasal and sinus tissues, direct biological and molecular evidence for cause and effect has been scant.

18 Apr 2017

Research unravels how cytokines prevent multi-organ damage during parasitic infection

Cytokines are proteins secreted by several types of immune cells in response to infection, inflammation, or injury. Interleukin-17 (IL-17) is one such cytokine that causes inflammation, by controlling the production of other cytokines and mobilizing a type of white blood cell (neutrophil) that fights infections.

3 Apr 2017

Study shows inhibition of transgelin prevents vasculogenic mimicry in breast cancer

An article published in Experimental Biology and Medicine identifies a new signaling pathway involved in breast cancer cell growth. The study, led by Dr. Chan-Wha Kim, from the Department of Biotechnology at Korea University in Seoul, reports that inhibition of the actin-binding protein transgelin prevents vasculogenic mimicry (VM), a process that provides tumor cells with the nutrients required for growth.

29 Mar 2017

Researchers propose novel theory of how some cancers circumvent killing power of targeted therapies

Nearly 50 years into the "war" on cancer, doctors possess weapons that once would have seemed magical in their tumor-killing specificity.

29 Mar 2017

Research helps elucidate mechanisms behind low-level laser therapy in treating neuropathic pain

Low-level laser therapy has been shown by recent studies to be a non-invasive and effective alternative for treating neuropathic pain, a chronic condition caused by nerve damage, spinal cord injury or diseases such as diabetes.

28 Mar 2017

Scientists identify molecules that may be key to drug resistance in estrogen-driven breast cancers

Three-quarters of all breast cancer tumors are driven by the hormone estrogen. These tumors are frequently treated with drugs to suppress estrogen receptor activity, but unfortunately, at least half of patients do not respond to these treatments, leaving them with drug-resistant tumors and few options.

20 Mar 2017

Inflammation acts as double-edge sword in regeneration, study reveals

Regeneration is an inherent property of life. However, the potential to regenerate differs across species: while fish and amphibians can re-grow appendages such as limbs, tails, and fins, mammals, including humans, cannot restore injured organs to their original shape and function.

7 Mar 2017

Study shows new drug as promising treatment option for difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis patients

Between 3 and 5% of the population suffer from a form of inflammatory rheumatism. It affects approximately 250,000 - 400,000 people in Austria.

2 Mar 2017

Activated T-cells promote heart failure after heart attack

Chronic inflammation after a heart attack can promote heart failure and death. University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have now shown that activated T-cells — part of the immune system's inflammatory response — are both necessary and sufficient to produce such heart failure.

28 Feb 2017