Immune System News and Research

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MUHC/McGill parasite disease researcher wins CPHA International Public Health Award

With close to one third of the world's population infected with parasitic worms, MUHC researcher Dr. Theresa Gyorkos is thinking big when it comes to finding a solution to this global public health challenge. As part of an international research and policy team, she is contributing to the soon-to-be-released WHO Strategic Plan to control intestinal worm infections in more than 100 countries.

23 Jun 2011

Tobira commences cenicriviroc Phase IIb clinical trial for HIV infection

Tobira Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for HIV, announced today that it has initiated a Phase IIb clinical trial for the CCR5/CCR2 inhibitor cenicriviroc (TBR-652).

22 Jun 2011

Nine young clinical investigators earn recognition from Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation named five new Damon Runyon Clinical Investigators at its spring 2011 Clinical Investigator Award Committee review.

22 Jun 2011

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics receives U.S. patent for cancer vaccine technology

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd., a biotechnology company focused on the development of novel immune-based cancer therapies, announced the issuance of a U.S. patent relating to a technology for the treatment of cancer for which the Company holds an exclusive, worldwide license.

22 Jun 2011

Scientists discover molecular mechanism that could help develop new MS treatments

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have discovered a molecular mechanism which could bring about the development of new treatments for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) — a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system.

22 Jun 2011

Novel method of disguising nanoparticles as red blood cells to fight cancer

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have developed a novel method of disguising nanoparticles as red blood cells, which will enable them to evade the body's immune system and deliver cancer-fighting drugs straight to a tumor. Their research was published this week in the online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

22 Jun 2011

Prostate cancer risk and prevention

According to U.S. researchers smoking increases the risk that men who develop prostate cancer will die from their disease. The longer the men smoked, the greater the risk, said Stacey Kenfield of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, whose study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in men behind lung cancer

22 Jun 2011

Biotest, Abbott partner to develop and commercialize BT-061 for autoimmune diseases

Abbott and Biotest AG today announced a global agreement to develop and commercialize BT-061, a novel anti-CD4 antibody for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriasis.

22 Jun 2011

California-born Asian and Pacific Islander women face higher risks of breast cancer

Young Asian and Pacific Islander women born in California have higher risks of breast cancer than young white women, and some groups, including Filipinas, might have higher risks than African-Americans, according to a new study that challenges the perception that these women are at a much lower risk of breast cancer than white women.

21 Jun 2011

Study sheds new light on body's immune response to hepatitis A, C viruses

A surprising finding in a study comparing hepatitis C virus (HCV) with hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections in chimpanzees by a team that includes scientists from the Texas Biomedical Research Institute sheds new light on the nature of the body's immune response to these viruses.

21 Jun 2011

New clinical trial to evaluate safety of tenofovir gel in breastfeeding, pregnant women

Determining whether a promising HIV prevention gel is safe for women to use while they are pregnant or breastfeeding is the aim of a new clinical trial being conducted by the National Institutes of Health-funded Microbicide Trials Network.

21 Jun 2011

Experts help raise awareness about dangers of melanoma in the U.S.

San Diego is one of the top 10 sunniest cities in the United States. Even when "June Gloom" clouds our skies, the sun is still very powerful. With that in mind, experts with UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center are helping raise awareness of the dangers of melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer.

21 Jun 2011

Contaminated cocaine may lead to public health epidemic

Doctors warned of a potential public health epidemic in a recent report on patients in Los Angeles and New York who developed serious skin reactions after smoking or snorting cocaine believed to be contaminated with a veterinary medication drug dealers are using to dilute, or "cut," up to 70% of the cocaine in the U.S.

20 Jun 2011

Researchers identify nine blood proteins that alter with age

Loss of muscle mass is not only associated with disease, such as HIV and cancer, but also with the normal aging process. Anabolic steroids are sometimes used to reverse loss of lean muscle tissue but they can have unwanted side effects.

20 Jun 2011

Novel vaccine approach for prostate cancer

Mayo Clinic investigators and collaborators from the United Kingdom cured well-established prostate tumors in mice using a human vaccine with no apparent side effects. This novel cancer treatment approach encourages the immune system to rid itself of prostate tumors without assistance from toxic chemotherapies and radiation treatments.

20 Jun 2011

Researchers use DNA library to create potential cancer vaccine

University of Leeds researchers, funded by Cancer Research UK, have used a library of DNA to create a vaccine that could be used to treat cancer, according to a study published in Nature Medicine.

20 Jun 2011

UK’s first larynx transplant

In a first, UK will get its voicebox or larynx transplant in less than a year after the Royal College of Surgeons gave its seal of approval for trials to take place. A report by the college said the pioneering procedure could help people who had cancer of the larynx to speak and breathe normally again.

19 Jun 2011

Boosting immune response may cause cold-induced asthma flare-ups

People often talk about "boosting" their immunity to prevent and fight colds. Nutritional supplements, cold remedies and fortified foods claim to stave off colds by augmenting the immune system.

18 Jun 2011

Cervical ripening that instigates preterm birth is distinct from normal term labor

Cervical ripening that instigates preterm labor is distinct from what happens at the onset of normal term labor, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

18 Jun 2011

Careful, well-designed studies needed for evaluating patients with MS: SIRF panel

Evaluating patients with multiple sclerosis who have narrowed jugular and azygos veins-and the value of widening those veins with angioplasty-warrants careful, well-designed research, noted members of a Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation's Research Consensus Panel.

17 Jun 2011

Immune System News and Research

MUHC/McGill parasite disease researcher wins CPHA International Public Health Award

Tobira commences cenicriviroc Phase IIb clinical trial for HIV infection

Nine young clinical investigators earn recognition from Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics receives U.S. patent for cancer vaccine technology

Scientists discover molecular mechanism that could help develop new MS treatments

Novel method of disguising nanoparticles as red blood cells to fight cancer

Prostate cancer risk and prevention

Biotest, Abbott partner to develop and commercialize BT-061 for autoimmune diseases

California-born Asian and Pacific Islander women face higher risks of breast cancer

Study sheds new light on body's immune response to hepatitis A, C viruses

New clinical trial to evaluate safety of tenofovir gel in breastfeeding, pregnant women

Experts help raise awareness about dangers of melanoma in the U.S.

Contaminated cocaine may lead to public health epidemic

Researchers identify nine blood proteins that alter with age

Novel vaccine approach for prostate cancer

Researchers use DNA library to create potential cancer vaccine

UK’s first larynx transplant

Boosting immune response may cause cold-induced asthma flare-ups

Cervical ripening that instigates preterm birth is distinct from normal term labor

Careful, well-designed studies needed for evaluating patients with MS: SIRF panel

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