Immune System News and Research

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Multiple sclerosis disease activity reduced by leukaemia drug, even when first-line treatment has failed

A drug which was originally developed to treat leukaemia and other cancers of the immune system offers substantial improvements over existing treatments in reducing relapse rates for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), even when they have not responded well to first-line treatment, according to the results of two phase 3 trials published Online First in The Lancet.

1 Nov 2012

Study finds link between severe sepsis and chronic diseases

It's a major cause of death, yet few of us have ever heard of it. Sepsis occurs when a patient's immune system overreacts to an infection, triggering a potentially fatal, system-wide inflammation. Severe sepsis strikes about 750,000 Americans each year, most of them older and often ill, with as many as half of these patients dying as septic shock shuts down their organs. Furthermore, patients in many Southern states are about twice as likely to develop sepsis for reasons unknown.

1 Nov 2012

Clinical hypnosis can effectively reduce hot flashes among postmenopausal women

Clinical hypnosis can effectively reduce hot flashes and associated symptoms among postmenopausal women, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Baylor University's Mind-Body Medicine Research Laboratory.

1 Nov 2012

Regular blood test may help predict survival in patients with Merkel cell carcinoma

A routine blood test may help predict survival in patients with an aggressive form of skin cancer known as Merkel cell carcinoma, according to new findings by Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers. The results will be presented on Wednesday, October 31 at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's 54th Annual Meeting.

1 Nov 2012

Exosomes alone could protect infants' lungs from dangerous inflammation

Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital have found that microscopic particles containing proteins and nucleic acids called exosomes could potentially protect the fragile lungs of premature babies from serious lung diseases and chronic lung injury caused by inflammation.

1 Nov 2012

Microbiologists confirm existence of new tick disease in Switzerland

Until now, we knew that ticks primarily transmit two pathogens to humans in Switzerland: the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi - which causes borreliosis - and the early-summer-meningoencephalitis virus, which can cause cerebral inflammation. Now, microbiologists from the University of Zurich confirm the existence of another tick disease in Switzerland - neoehrlichiosis.

1 Nov 2012

Single dose of etanercept can improve chronic neurological dysfunction from stroke or TBI

A new ground-breaking study about to be published in the Adis journal CNS Drugs provides clinical evidence that, for the first time, chronic neurological dysfunction from stroke or traumatic brain injury can rapidly improve following a single dose of a drug that targets brain inflammation, even years after the stroke or traumatic event.

1 Nov 2012

Physically active men produce better semen quality

A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Cordoba links moderate physical activity in males with better hormone levels and sperm characteristics that favour reproduction compared to sedentary men.

1 Nov 2012

Scientists discover first selective inhibitors of DAGL enzymes

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have discovered the first selective inhibitors of an important set of enzymes. The new inhibitors, and chemical probes based on them, now can be used to study the functions of enzymes known as diacylglycerol lipases (DAGL), their products, and the pathways they regulate.

1 Nov 2012

Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason wins Grand Challenges Explorations grant

Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason (BRI) announced today that it is a Grand Challenges Explorations winner, an initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

1 Nov 2012

Scientists solve mystery behind what triggers the herpes virus to become active again

The mere mention of the word "herpes" usually conjures negative images and stereotypes, but most people have been infected with some form of the virus. For most, a sore appears, heals and is forgotten, although the virus remains latent just waiting for the right circumstances to come back. Now, the mystery behind what triggers the virus to become active again is closer to being solved thanks to new research published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology's November 2012 issue.

1 Nov 2012

‘Off the shelf’ stem cells show promise for perianal fistula

Expanded allogenic adipose-derived stem cells are effective for the treatment of perianal fistula in patients with Crohn’s disease, suggest the results of a phase I/II trial.

31 Oct 2012

Vitamin D and multiple sclerosis: an interview with Ellen Mowry

Vitamin D is actually a hormone. For the most part, humans obtain vitamin D through sun exposure. Ultraviolet light from the sun promotes the conversion of a compound in the skin to pre-vitamin D.

31 Oct 2012

Eliminating bacteria's DNA, boosting antimicrobial proteins may help prevent recurrent ear infections

Eliminating bacteria's DNA and boosting antimicrobial proteins that already exist may help prevent middle ear infections from reoccurring. These are the findings from a Nationwide Children's Hospital study that examined how an immune defense protein common in the middle ear interacts with a structure meant to protect a colony of bacteria.

31 Oct 2012

Dermatoglyphic abnormalities evident in schizophrenia patients

Patients with schizophrenia have specific dermatoglyphic abnormalities, which support the role of neurodevelopmental disruption in development of the disorder, say US researchers.

30 Oct 2012

Bayer HealthCare signs merger agreement to acquire Schiff Nutrition International

Bayer HealthCare LLC has signed a merger agreement to acquire Schiff Nutrition International, Inc., a leading company offering vitamins and nutritional supplements in the United States and other countries.

30 Oct 2012

Nonclinical data on Provectus PV-10 oncology drug presented at 27th SITC

Provectus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a development-stage oncology and dermatology biopharmaceutical company, presented nonclinical data on PV-10 at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 27th Annual Meeting on October 26 and 27, 2012 in North Bethesda, MD.

29 Oct 2012

Sea water strengthens the body against viruses, low defences, bacteria and pathogens

Sea water therapy is a technique of cellular nutrition backed by more than 100 years of clinical use in hospitals, during which numerous studies have demonstrated its beneficial effects on patients' health.

29 Oct 2012

RUB-medical researchers receive $2.3M Gates Foundation grant for HIV vaccine research

To support their research for a vaccine against the HI-Virus, Prof. Dr. Klaus Überla of the Faculty for Medicine at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum and his research team will receive $2.3 million in funding within the next three years from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The scientists are part of the Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery (CAVD), which seeks to speed up the development of an HIV-vaccine through a rigorous exchange of information, methods and reagents.

29 Oct 2012

Cellectis announces successful programming of immune system cells to kill cancer cells

Cellectis, the genome engineering specialist, has announced successfully programming cells from the immune system (T cells) to kill cancer cells. This technological breakthrough was revealed for the first time ever on Saturday, October 27th at the congress of the ESGCT (European Society of Gene & Cell Therapy) in Versailles, outside Paris.

29 Oct 2012

Immune System News and Research

Multiple sclerosis disease activity reduced by leukaemia drug, even when first-line treatment has failed

Study finds link between severe sepsis and chronic diseases

Clinical hypnosis can effectively reduce hot flashes among postmenopausal women

Regular blood test may help predict survival in patients with Merkel cell carcinoma

Exosomes alone could protect infants' lungs from dangerous inflammation

Microbiologists confirm existence of new tick disease in Switzerland

Single dose of etanercept can improve chronic neurological dysfunction from stroke or TBI

Physically active men produce better semen quality

Scientists discover first selective inhibitors of DAGL enzymes

Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason wins Grand Challenges Explorations grant

Scientists solve mystery behind what triggers the herpes virus to become active again

‘Off the shelf’ stem cells show promise for perianal fistula

Vitamin D and multiple sclerosis: an interview with Ellen Mowry

Eliminating bacteria's DNA, boosting antimicrobial proteins may help prevent recurrent ear infections

Dermatoglyphic abnormalities evident in schizophrenia patients

Bayer HealthCare signs merger agreement to acquire Schiff Nutrition International

Nonclinical data on Provectus PV-10 oncology drug presented at 27th SITC

Sea water strengthens the body against viruses, low defences, bacteria and pathogens

RUB-medical researchers receive $2.3M Gates Foundation grant for HIV vaccine research

Cellectis announces successful programming of immune system cells to kill cancer cells

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

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