Autoimmune Disease News and Research

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Autoimmune Disease is a condition in which the body recognizes its own tissues as foreign and directs an immune response against them.

Inhibition of FLT3 signaling targets DCs to ameliorate autoimmune disease

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have found that a gene pathway linked to a deadly form of leukemia may provide a new way to treat autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis.

2 Dec 2005

Mycophenolate mofetil helps treat lupus patients

Treating lupus patients suffering from kidney inflammation with a medicine known as mycophenolate mofetil may be more effective in inducing remission than treating them with the standard regimen of intravenous cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), a new clinical trial indicates.

2 Dec 2005

Mayo Clinic provides new strategy for designing better treatments for juvenile dermatomyositis

Mayo Clinic researchers, working with colleagues at the University of Minnesota and University of Pittsburgh, are the first to describe a new role for a specialized cell of the immune system in children suffering from a rare muscle-damaging disease known as juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM).

14 Nov 2005

Tryptophan metabolites play an important role in the immune system

Tryptophan is the source of Thanksgiving legend and grist for a "Seinfeld" episode, but it's not the chemical that you'd expect to find in Lawrence Steinman's lab.

7 Nov 2005

Largest study to date on risk factors associated with primary biliary cirrhosis

A case-control study of more than 2000 people has identified a number of factors that may induce primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) in genetically susceptible individuals. These include a history of urinary tract infections, hormone replacement therapy, tobacco use, and nail polish use.

3 Nov 2005

Blocking macrophage migration inhibitory factor molecule might prevent the progression of multiple sclerosis

A new study suggests that a substance made by immune cells plays a key role in the progression of a disease in animals that closely mimics multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings further suggest that blocking the molecule, known as macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) might prevent the progression of the disease.

19 Oct 2005

New discoveries help explore the function of regulatory T cells in autoimmune disease and in cancer

More than 150 years after the discovery of Hassall's corpuscles in 1849, the function of these round blobs of cells in the human thymus gland has now been explained. The answer, in turn, ends an intense hunt for the origin of regulatory T cells that has been under way for years.

11 Oct 2005

Real dangers from environmental toxins most likely occur early in life

Exposure of developing fetuses and newborns to low levels of environmental toxins such as lead, mercury and dioxin, as well as nicotine and ethanol, could be behind the recent sharp rises in asthma, allergies and autoimmune disorders like lupus, says a Cornell University researcher.

10 Oct 2005

Gut antibody could prove to be a promising drug target for Crohn's disease

A collaboration led by the Burnham Institute for Medical Research has found that an antibody which binds to an unusual sugar molecule residing in the gut halts the inflammation seen in Crohn's disease and other intestinal inflammations. The antibody could prove to be a promising drug target for these common chronic intestinal disorders.

9 Oct 2005

Researchers "should rethink what they are doing" in creating drugs based on a fruit-fly model

The first close-up look at a pro-inflammatory signaling molecule involved in immune response in mammals suggests that researchers "should rethink what they are doing" in creating drugs based on a fruit-fly model, scientists say.

4 Oct 2005

Discovery of molecular roots of asthma, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis

The molecular roots of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as asthma, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis (MS) have been discovered by a team of researchers led by The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. They say their findings may point to ways to effectively treat these diseases - if not stop them before they start.

4 Oct 2005

Discovery of mechanism in the body that could lead to autoimmune diseases

Researchers at National Jewish Medical and Research Center have discovered a mechanism in the body that could lead to autoimmune diseases, such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or diabetes.

3 Oct 2005

Lab-made version of a human protein opens a new research avenue to better understand rheumatoid arthritis

A lab-made version of a human protein alleviates symptoms of both acute and chronic arthritis in mice and could be the basis for a new arthritis drug for people, report scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

3 Oct 2005

Research may help create drugs to target the molecule-binding pathway, beneficial for treating arthritis and reducing inflammation

3 Oct 2005

New virus-based gene therapy delivery system to help fight cancer

A Mayo Clinic research team has devised a new virus-based gene therapy delivery system to help fight cancer. Researchers say their findings will help overcome hurdles that have hindered gene therapy cancer treatments.

27 Sep 2005

Discovery of molecule that causes transverse myelitis

Hopkins researchers have discovered a single molecule that is a cause of an autoimmune disease in the central nervous system, called transverse myelitis (TM), that is related to multiple sclerosis.

26 Sep 2005

Aquaporin-4 is the first specific molecule to be defined as a target for the autoimmune response in any form of MS

Researchers have identified a molecular suspect in a disorder similar to multiple sclerosis (MS) that attacks the optic nerve and spinal cord, according to a report presented at the 130th annual meeting of the American Neurological Association in San Diego. The protein, called aquaporin-4, is a channel protein that allows water to move in and out of cells.

26 Sep 2005

First true animal model for psoriasis

Scientists at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna have developed the first true animal model for psoriasis and have been able to address the initial steps and possible causes of the disease.

20 Sep 2005

Study suggests chronic infections may create autoimmune response

New research finds the human immune system has foregone evolutionary changes that would allow it to produce better antibodies in less time because the improved antibodies would be far more likely to attack the body's own tissues.

19 Sep 2005

Cellular mechanism discovery could lead to new treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease

A major finding by researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology (LIAI) has identified a previously unknown cellular mechanism that acts as an off switch for immune system function.

12 Sep 2005

Autoimmune Disease News and Research

Further Reading

Inhibition of FLT3 signaling targets DCs to ameliorate autoimmune disease

Mycophenolate mofetil helps treat lupus patients

Mayo Clinic provides new strategy for designing better treatments for juvenile dermatomyositis

Tryptophan metabolites play an important role in the immune system

Largest study to date on risk factors associated with primary biliary cirrhosis

Blocking macrophage migration inhibitory factor molecule might prevent the progression of multiple sclerosis

New discoveries help explore the function of regulatory T cells in autoimmune disease and in cancer

Real dangers from environmental toxins most likely occur early in life

Gut antibody could prove to be a promising drug target for Crohn's disease

Researchers "should rethink what they are doing" in creating drugs based on a fruit-fly model

Discovery of molecular roots of asthma, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis

Discovery of mechanism in the body that could lead to autoimmune diseases

Lab-made version of a human protein opens a new research avenue to better understand rheumatoid arthritis

Research may help create drugs to target the molecule-binding pathway, beneficial for treating arthritis and reducing inflammation

New virus-based gene therapy delivery system to help fight cancer

Discovery of molecule that causes transverse myelitis

Aquaporin-4 is the first specific molecule to be defined as a target for the autoimmune response in any form of MS

First true animal model for psoriasis

Study suggests chronic infections may create autoimmune response

Cellular mechanism discovery could lead to new treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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