Immune System News and Research

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Cytokine levels altered in FEP, schizophrenia patients

Levels of certain cytokines are altered in patients with first-episode psychosis and patients with schizophrenia, research shows.

17 Oct 2012

HIV infection has been major driver of anal cancer burden

Rising rates of anal cancer among men in the USA have been heavily influenced by the HIV epidemic since the 1980s, a study shows.

17 Oct 2012

UMass professor receives $1 million LRI grant for lupus research

The Lupus Research Institute (LRI) has named University of Massachusetts Medical School Professor of Medicine Ann Marshak-Rothstein, MD, one of two recipients of the first LRI Distinguished Innovator Awards.

17 Oct 2012

LRRK2 inhibitors may provide neuroprotection for patients with Parkinson's

For decades, patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) have had the same experience. Their hands start to shake uncontrollably, their limbs become rigid and they lose their balance. Years before those movement problems set in, many begin struggling with fainting, incontinence, sexual dysfunction, anxiety and depression. Many patients are still treated with a 42-year-old drug called L-DOPA, which temporarily staves off symptoms but can itself cause heart arrhythmias, stomach bleeding and hallucinations.

16 Oct 2012

Gravity changes affect immune system development

New research findings recently published in The FASEB Journal, show that immune system development is affected by gravity changes, as reported by researchers from the University of Lorraine and University of Luxembourg. Astronauts are exposed to stresses, during launch and landing, which disrupts their body's natural defenses against infection. Changes to the immune system need to be investigated before astronauts undergo longer space missions.

16 Oct 2012

NIAID-funded study to evaluate PPSV23 and PCV13 in Phase Iib pneumococcal trial

Researchers plan to see if a higher dose of a pneumococcal vaccine will create a stronger immune response in older adults who received an earlier generation vaccine against pneumonia and other pneumococcal diseases.

16 Oct 2012

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin molecule makes mice resistant to skin cancer

A molecule involved in asthma and allergies has now been shown to make mice resistant to skin cancer, according to scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

16 Oct 2012

Current status, challenges and opportunities of pulmonary vaccine delivery

In addition to the obvious benefit of eliminating the need for an injection, new vaccine delivery methods via the lungs offer particular advantages for protecting against infectious agents that enter the body through the respiratory track.

16 Oct 2012

GAPPS announces five new projects for prevention of preterm births

Five innovative research projects aiming to prevent premature birth were announced today by the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS), an initiative of Seattle Children's.

16 Oct 2012

Saint Louis University to participate in PPV23 vaccine trial for pneumonia

Saint Louis University is participating in a multi-site, National Institutes of Health-sponsored clinical trial in older adults of a new vaccine designed to protect against one of the most common types of pneumonia and related diseases such as bloodstream infections and meningitis.

16 Oct 2012

IL-36 might be a useful therapeutic target in treatment of psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that affects approximately 2% of the world's population. A group of inflammatory molecules known as interleukins activate an immune response that causes itchy skin, but it is unclear how the skin cells and immune cells communicate.

16 Oct 2012

Study demonstrates how new scientific knowledge drives novel treatments for spinal cord injuries

Research released today demonstrates how new scientific knowledge is driving innovative treatments for spinal cord injuries. Spinal cord damage is debilitating and life-altering, limiting or preventing movement and feeling for millions worldwide, and leading to chronic health conditions and pain.

16 Oct 2012

NIH to accelerate development and application of single cell analysis across various fields

The National Institutes of Health plans to invest more than $90 million over five years, contingent upon the availability of funds, to accelerate the development and application of single cell analysis across a variety of fields.

16 Oct 2012

Night work can increase risk of cancer in men

Night work can increase cancer risk in men, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology by a research team from Centre INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier and Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l'Universit- de Montr-al.

16 Oct 2012

Rheumatoid arthritis treatment foiled by gum disease

Periodontal disease may reduce the efficacy of tumor necrosis factor inhibitor treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, preliminary research suggests.

15 Oct 2012

Therapeutic HPV16 and HPV18 vaccine ‘may eliminate infection’

A candidate vaccine against human papillomavirus serotypes 16 and 18 appears to induce robust immune responses to antigens, potentially leading to the elimination of virus-infected cells and regression of dysplasia, say US investigators.

15 Oct 2012

Enrollment complete in Idera's IMO-3100 Phase 2 trial for psoriasis

Idera Pharmaceuticals today announced that it had completed patient enrollment in its randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial of IMO-3100 in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. IMO-3100 is an antagonist of specific Toll-like Receptors (TLRs) that the Company is developing for the treatment of psoriasis and other autoimmune diseases.

15 Oct 2012

Regulatory B cells may provide effective treatment for severe autoimmune diseases

Reproducing a rare type of B cell in the laboratory and infusing it back into the body may provide an effective treatment for severe autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

15 Oct 2012

White blood cell variation can help predict non-blood cancers

Postdoctoral Research Fellow Devin Koestler is a biostatistician in the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. He develops and applies statistical methods to large volumes of data, seeking new approaches for understanding disease, cancer in particular. Koestler and his colleagues are investigating the potential use of white blood cell variation as a diagnostic, predictive, and research tool in the study of non-blood cancers.

15 Oct 2012

Pioneering research paves way for new treatments for pulmonary arterial hypertension

Pioneering research conducted by the University of Sheffield is paving the way for new treatments which could benefit patients suffering from the fatal lung disease pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

15 Oct 2012