Immune System News and Research

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Brain cells prune circuits in the brain by eating away excess synapses

We’re born with our brains prewired, but as information comes in from our environment, this circuitry is updated. A study from Boston Children’s Hospital provides a new glimpse of how this happens: Brain cells known as microglia, tuned into the crosstalk between neurons, literally engulf unnecessary connections, known as synapses, and prune them away.

24 May 2012

PTH boosts AMPs to fend off infection-causing microbes

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are molecules produced in the skin to fend off infection-causing microbes. Vitamin D has been credited with a role in their production and in the body's overall immune response, but scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say a hormone previously associated only with maintaining calcium homeostasis and bone health is also critical, boosting AMP expression when dietary vitamin D levels are inadequate.

24 May 2012

LabCorp, XDx partner to develop and commercialize SLE flare predictor test

XDx, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (LabCorp)whereby each party will collaborate in marker discovery, and LabCorp will develop and commercialize a diagnostic test to predict flares of systemic lupus erythematosus.

24 May 2012

Scientists may be step closer to developing new therapy for AML

Scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center may be one step closer to developing a new therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after discovering that the targeted agents obatoclax and sorafenib kill leukemia cells much more effectively when combined than when the drugs are administered individually.

23 May 2012

Severe hypersensitivity reactions to anti-HIV drug occur through autoimmune mechanism

Potentially severe hypersensitivity reactions to the anti-HIV drug abacavir occur through an autoimmune mechanism, resulting from the creation of drug-induced immunogens that are attacked by the body's immune system, according to a study published online by the journal AIDS, official journal of the International AIDS Society.

23 May 2012

Study provides new clues about health-damaging molecular changes by eating high-fat foods

A University of Michigan Health System study provides new clues about the health-damaging molecular changes set in motion by eating high-fat foods.

23 May 2012

Panel of HuCAL Anti-Drug Antibodies to be launched by AbD Serotec

MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX) announced today that its division for research and diagnostic antibodies, AbD Serotec, will launch a series of novel anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) to strengthen its position as a leading provider of diagnostic reagents.

23 May 2012

Scientists determine genetic sequences of all 12 vancomycin-resistant staph strains

National Institutes of Health-funded scientists have determined the genetic sequences of all 12 available strains of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria resistant to vancomycin-an antibiotic of last resort-and have demonstrated that resistance arose independently in each strain after it acquired a specific bit of genetic material called transposon Tn1546

23 May 2012

Mimotopes can help develop new diagnostic tests for sleeping sickness

Each year many thousands of Africans contract sleeping sickness. The cause is a unicellular parasite, a trypanosome, which is transmitted by the bite of tsetse flies. First the parasite multiplies in blood and lymph, while evading the human immune system. It then lodges in organs like heart and kidneys and finally in the brain. Patients become disoriented, their sleeping pattern disintegrates and they get motor and mental problems.

23 May 2012

Scientists trace origin and development of vancomycin-resistant S. aureus

National Institutes of Health-funded scientists have determined the genome sequences of a dozen strains of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria known to be resistant to vancomycin, an antibiotic of last resort. The researchers demonstrated -that resistance arose independently in each strain, and identified shared features among the strains that may have helped them acquire vancomycin resistance and evade human immune defenses.

23 May 2012

HVTN opens enrollment in GeoVax’s GM-CSF adjuvanted vaccine Phase 1 trial for HIV

GeoVax Labs, Inc., an Atlanta-based biopharmaceutical firm developing vaccines to prevent and fight Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections, today announced that the NIH-funded HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) has opened enrollment for a Phase 1 trial for the company's second-generation HIV vaccine.

23 May 2012

B cells in breast milk can produce HIV-neutralizing antibodies

Antibodies that help to stop the HIV virus have been found in breast milk. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center isolated the antibodies from immune cells called B cells in the breast milk of infected mothers in Malawi, and showed that the B cells in breast milk can generate neutralizing antibodies that may inhibit the virus that causes AIDS.

23 May 2012

Special feature of Science journal highlights protein array technology

A special feature in this week's issue of the journal Science highlights protein array technology, touching on research conducted by Joshua LaBaer, director of the Biodesign Institute's Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics.

23 May 2012

Researchers identify new mechanism for drug-related autoimmune reactions

A team of researchers led by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has discovered a new mechanism for identifying and understanding drug-related autoimmune reactions.

23 May 2012

Microfluidic chip can diagnose latent TB

Biomedical engineers at UC Davis have developed a microfluidic chip to test for latent tuberculosis. They hope the test will be cheaper, faster and more reliable than current testing for the disease.

23 May 2012

Data from Alvine’s ALV003 Phase 2A trial on celiac disease presented at DDW 2012

Alvine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the presentation of data from a Phase 2A trial of its lead compound, ALV003, at the 2012 Digestive Diseases Week (DDW) meeting held in San Diego, California. The study results met the primary endpoint of demonstrating that oral ALV003, administered in the context of a gluten free diet (GFD), can diminish gluten-induced intestinal mucosal injury in well-controlled celiac disease patients. The company plans to initiate a Phase 2B trial later this year.

23 May 2012

Thermo Scientific Watson LIMS offers enhanced functionality for bioanalytical laboratories

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced that its Thermo Scientific Watson LIMS (laboratory information management system) offers enhanced functionality for large molecule bioanalysis in pharmaceutical and contract research organization (CRO) laboratories.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 22 May 2012

Airway inflammation linked with asthma-related mortality rates in older adults

Higher mortality rates among older adult asthma patients compared to their younger counterparts may be due, at least in part, to an increase in airway inflammation, according to a study conducted by researchers in Canada, who note that their results imply that elderly patients are either less likely to follow asthma medication dosing instructions, or that the underlying airway inflammation in elderly patients is relatively resistant to current anti-inflammatory therapies.

22 May 2012

Heart disease risk assessment tools often underestimate CVD danger faced by RA patients

Heart disease risk assessment tools commonly used by physicians often underestimate the cardiovascular disease danger faced by rheumatoid arthritis patients, a Mayo Clinic study has found. Inflammation plays a key role in putting those with rheumatoid arthritis in greater jeopardy for heart disease, yet many cardiovascular disease risk assessment methods do not factor it in, the researchers note.

22 May 2012

Combination of vitamin D and BCG vaccine improves bladder cancer survival

The tuberculosis vaccine is often used as a treatment for bladder cancer, and adding vitamin D might improve the vaccine's effectiveness, according to new research from the University of Rochester Medical Center presented today at the American Urological Association annual meeting.

22 May 2012

Immune System News and Research

Brain cells prune circuits in the brain by eating away excess synapses

PTH boosts AMPs to fend off infection-causing microbes

LabCorp, XDx partner to develop and commercialize SLE flare predictor test

Scientists may be step closer to developing new therapy for AML

Severe hypersensitivity reactions to anti-HIV drug occur through autoimmune mechanism

Study provides new clues about health-damaging molecular changes by eating high-fat foods

Panel of HuCAL Anti-Drug Antibodies to be launched by AbD Serotec

Scientists determine genetic sequences of all 12 vancomycin-resistant staph strains

Mimotopes can help develop new diagnostic tests for sleeping sickness

Scientists trace origin and development of vancomycin-resistant S. aureus

HVTN opens enrollment in GeoVax’s GM-CSF adjuvanted vaccine Phase 1 trial for HIV

B cells in breast milk can produce HIV-neutralizing antibodies

Special feature of Science journal highlights protein array technology

Researchers identify new mechanism for drug-related autoimmune reactions

Microfluidic chip can diagnose latent TB

Data from Alvine’s ALV003 Phase 2A trial on celiac disease presented at DDW 2012

Thermo Scientific Watson LIMS offers enhanced functionality for bioanalytical laboratories

Airway inflammation linked with asthma-related mortality rates in older adults

Heart disease risk assessment tools often underestimate CVD danger faced by RA patients

Combination of vitamin D and BCG vaccine improves bladder cancer survival

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