Immune System News and Research

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Longer looks: Rushed medicine; Exercising your way to a smarter brain

Something in the world of medicine is seriously amiss. Unhappy patients gripe about their doctors' brusque manner and give them bad marks on surveys and consumer websites like HealthGrades and Angie's List. They tell tales of being rushed out of the office by harried doctors who miss crucial diagnoses, never look up from their computers during an exam, make errors in prescriptions, and just plain don't listen to their patients. ... And things don't seem much better from the other side of the stethoscope.

20 Apr 2012

Entire HCV lifecycle can be recapitulated in murine cells

A US study presented today at The International Liver CongressTM 2012 demonstrates that the entire HCV lifecycle can be recapitulated in murine cells, implying that HCV permissive mouse models could soon be developed.

20 Apr 2012

Rare CARD14 gene mutations can lead to plaque psoriasis

Scientists led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified the first gene directly linked to the most common form of psoriasis, a chronic skin condition.

20 Apr 2012

Positive data from Synairgen’s SNG001 Phase II trial on asthma

Scientists from the University of Southampton and Synairgen, a respiratory drug development company spun out from the University, can announce positive data from its Phase II clinical trial, into the effectiveness of the drug SNG001 (inhaled interferon beta) for asthma patients.

20 Apr 2012

BuruliVac project getting closer to a vaccine

During a meeting in Lisbon, the partners of the BuruliVac research consortium found the project to be running smoothly, and getting closer to a vaccine against Buruli ulcer, a disfiguring and mutilating disease that causes a lot of suffering and now is difficult to treat. Several vaccine candidates work well in mice and are ready for further testing on blood of patients; one is ready for testing in mice.

19 Apr 2012

Gut microbiota plays a causal role in development of diabetes and NAFLD

Exciting new data presented today at the International Liver Congress 2012 shows the gut microbiota's causal role in the development of diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), independent of obesity.

19 Apr 2012

New passive vaccine reverses dangerous symptoms of cocaine overdose

Scientists are reporting development and successful testing in laboratory mice of a substance that shows promise for becoming the first antidote for cocaine toxicity in humans. According to a report in ACS' journal Molecular Pharmaceutics, the new so-called "passive vaccine" reversed the motor impairment, seizures and other dangerous symptoms of a cocaine overdose, which claims thousands of lives each year among users of the illicit drug.

19 Apr 2012

First specific antidote for cocaine toxicity

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have shown that an injectable solution can protect mice from an otherwise lethal overdose of cocaine. The findings could lead to human clinical trials of a treatment designed to reverse the effects of cocaine in case of emergency. Cocaine is involved in more than 400,000 emergency-room visits and about 5,000 overdose deaths each year in the United States.

19 Apr 2012

CRF announces top 10 clinical research achievement awards

Ten outstanding clinical research projects from institutions around the country have been selected to receive the inaugural Clinical Research Forum Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Awards. The winning projects are compelling examples of the scientific innovation that results from the nation's investment in clinical research that can benefit human health and welfare.

19 Apr 2012

Cruciferous vegetables protect and improve breast cellular health

Broccoli, cabbage, leafy greens, cauliflower-your mother insisted they were good for you while you defiantly pushed them around your plate. Perhaps you didn't believe they were all that good for you. If they're so great, why don't they taste better? Turns out your mother was right. These cruciferous vegetables have a profound influence on the health of your body's cells. In fact, a recent study by Vanderbilt University's Ingram Center showed that a diet full of cruciferous vegetables protects and improves breast cellular health.

19 Apr 2012

New genetic signature may predict NSCLC patients at risk of relapse

A new genetic signature identified by Spanish researchers may provide doctors with robust and objective information about which patients with early stage lung cancer are at low or high risk of relapse following surgery, investigators report at the 3rd European Lung Cancer Conference in Geneva. Their work also opens new avenues for immunotherapy for lung cancer.

19 Apr 2012

New PBC tool for prioritizing laboratory-based CD-4 cell count testing

One of the major problems that has slowed progress toward universal access to life-saving antiretroviral therapy (ART) to treat AIDS in developing nations has been limited availability of laboratories and trained medical staff to conduct blood tests of immune system CD-4 T-cell levels that indicate when to start ART.

18 Apr 2012

Early intervention of biologic therapies improves outcome for Crohn's disease

A large-scale study of medical claims data shows that introducing sophisticated biologic therapies early in the course of treatment for Crohn's disease improves response to medication and reduces the need for surgery.

18 Apr 2012

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus senses and reacts to host cell's impending death

A research team led by Children's National Medical Center has identified a trigger that causes latent Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) to rapidly replicate itself. KSHV causes Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, and other cancers that commonly affect immunocompromised patients, including those with AIDS.

18 Apr 2012

Study sheds light on why ageing makes us more susceptible to gum disease

New research from Queen Mary, University of London in collaboration with research groups in the USA sheds light on why gum disease can become more common with old age.

18 Apr 2012

No added HIV risk with hormonal contraceptives

An HIV prevention trial that pre-dates the shift to antiretroviral (ARV)-based approaches is nonetheless helping to answer some of the most relevant and topical questions the field is facing today.

18 Apr 2012

Role of inability to express emotions in cancer

A review published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics raises the issue of the role of the inability to express emotions in cancer. Several interesting hypotheses emerge such as a possible link between alexithymia and the immune system, between alexithymia and quality of life, or between alexithymia, anxiety and depression.

18 Apr 2012

New brain cancer vaccine with material from own tumors proves effective in clinical trial

A new brain cancer vaccine tailored to individual patients by using material from their own tumors has proven effective in a multicenter phase 2 clinical trial at extending their lives by several months or longer. The patients suffered from recurrent glioblastoma multiforme-which kills thousands of Americans every year.

18 Apr 2012

Idera commences IMO-3100 Phase 2 clinical trial for psoriasis

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the treatment of the first patient in a Phase 2 clinical trial of IMO-3100, the Company's lead Toll-like receptor (TLR) inhibitor for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

18 Apr 2012

Allied Healthcare announces Coridon license to vector technology

Allied Healthcare Group (ASX: AHZ) has announced an update on the progress of Coridon, its investment company founded by Professor Ian Frazer and working on developing the next generation of vaccines. Included in these activities, Cordon has entered into a license agreement with Nature Technology Corporation (NTC) and has contracted VGXI Inc. in the US for production of clinical material for the Phase I study scheduled to begin later this year.

17 Apr 2012