Immune Response News and Research

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Wake Forest University to begin clinical trial for low-grade gliomas

For patients with low-grade gliomas, or slow growing brain tumors, a shot in the arm might soon lead to a new treatment therapy. A groundbreaking, first in humans vaccine will be tested in an early phase clinical trial that will soon begin at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Eighteen patients will be the first in the world to receive it.

2 Dec 2010

Researchers identify blip in gene that causes JMP syndrome

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a gene responsible for a rare disease that results in severe joint stiffness, muscle loss, anemia and panniculitis-induced lipodystrophy, or JMP syndrome.

2 Dec 2010

Researchers show an oncolytic virus switches off cancer cell survival signal

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified a mechanism by which specific viruses acting as oncolytic agents can enter and kill cancer cells. This finding, which is currently featured in an online edition of the Journal of Virology, could help lead to the development of more targeted treatments against many types of cancer.

1 Dec 2010

SPARTAC study examines ways to limit immune system damage in HIV infection

For most people in high-income countries HIV is considered a chronic illness which can be managed with medication. But the virus still causes extensive damage to the immune system, and treatment with antiretrovirals is a lifelong commitment. Once started, usually within three to five years following infection, the course of treatment needs to be strictly followed and taken for life.

1 Dec 2010

RCUK Academic Fellow to discuss microbial pathogens, immune system at Henry Wellcome Building

The Frank May Prize Lecture 2010 will be given by Dr Russell Wallis, speaking on microbial pathogens, and will be on Wednesday 1st December 2010, 5.30pm, in the Frank and Katherine May Lecture Theatre, Henry Wellcome Building (Lancaster Road), University of Leicester.

1 Dec 2010

Scientists uncover new regulatory mechanism in body's response to eliminate pathogens

A team of scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have uncovered a previously unknown regulatory mechanism in the body's response to eliminate pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses. The findings challenge a long-held dogma in the field of immunology and have potential implications for far-ranging topics from how vaccines should be administered to the origin of autoimmunity.

30 Nov 2010

Positive results from Oncolytics' combination REOLYSIN-docetaxel Phase I trial in advanced cancer

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. announced today that a paper entitled "REO-10: A Phase I Study of Intravenous Reovirus and Docetaxel in Patients with Advanced Cancer," was recently published by Comins et al in the journal Clinical Cancer Research (Clin Cancer Res 16(22):5564-5572).

29 Nov 2010

Superantigens can disrupt immune system, can cause more illnesses

Superantigens, the toxins produced by staphylococcus bacteria, are more complex than previously believed, reveals a team of researchers from the University of Gothenburg in an article published today in the scientific journal Nature Communications. Their discovery shows that the body's immune system can cause more illnesses than realised.

29 Nov 2010

JAK3 pathway highlighted as leukemia target

An intriguing study published in Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy has revealed that the signaling protein JAK3 represents a viable target in the treatment of a broad range of B-lineage cancers, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

28 Nov 2010

Dendritic cell vaccine induces immune responses in patients

A new process for creating a personalized vaccine may become a crucial tool in helping patients with colorectal cancer develop an immune response against their own tumors. This dendritic cell (DC) vaccine, developed at Dartmouth and described in a research paper published this week in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, was used after surgical resection of metastatic tumors to try to prevent the growth of additional metastases.

25 Nov 2010

How HIV kills CD4 T cells

Researchers appear to have an explanation for a longstanding question in HIV biology: how it is that the virus kills so many CD4 T cells, despite the fact that most of them appear to be "bystander" cells that are themselves not productively infected. That loss of CD4 T cells marks the progression from HIV infection to full-blown AIDS, explain the researchers who report their findings in studies of human tonsils and spleens in the November 24th issue of Cell, a Cell Press publication.

25 Nov 2010

Cannabis compounds trigger immune cells that promote cancer growth

An international team of immunologists studying the effects of cannabis have discovered how smoking marijuana can trigger a suppression of the body's immune functions. The research, published in the European Journal of Immunology, reveals why cannabis users are more susceptible to certain types of cancers and infections.

25 Nov 2010

USPTO, EPO issue key patents for Tekmira's LNP technology

Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a leading developer of RNA interference therapeutics, announced today that the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) and the European Patent Office (EPO) have issued key patents covering elements of Tekmira's leading lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology, which is used to deliver nucleic acid therapeutics, including small interfering RNA (siRNA).

23 Nov 2010

Compugen announces development of Protein Family Members Discovery Platform

Compugen Ltd. announced today the development of its Protein Family Members Discovery Platform, designed for the discovery of novel protein members belonging to various known and clinically important protein families.

23 Nov 2010

Harvard researcher to receive 2010 Naomi Berrie Award from Columbia University Medical Center

Columbia University Medical Center will present the 2010 Naomi Berrie Award to a Harvard researcher who has made important advances in understanding the molecular basis for links between obesity, diabetes and heart disease. A promising young investigator at Columbia will also be recognized for her novel investigations regarding the basis for disordered lipid metabolism in diabetes.

20 Nov 2010

Study sheds light on poorly understood aspect of interaction of HIV with natural killer cells

Natural killer cells are major weapons in the body's immune system. They keep the body healthy by knocking off tumors and cells infected with viruses, bombarding them with tiny lethal pellets. But natural killer cells are powerless against HIV, a fact that has bedeviled science for over 20 years.

20 Nov 2010

Study refocuses on rare group of neutralizing antibodies against HIV

Although people infected with HIV produce many antibodies against the protein encapsulating the virus, most of these antibodies are strangely ineffective at fighting the disease. A new study suggests why some of the most common of these antibodies don't work: they target the protein in a form it takes after the virus has already invaded the cell, when it's too late, report researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and their colleagues.

20 Nov 2010

Abnormal levels of circulating auto-antibodies found in blood of COPD patients

Moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be an auto-immunity problem, according to researchers in Spain, who studied the presence of auto-antibodies in patients with COPD and compared them to levels of control subjects. They found that a significant number of patients with COPD had significant levels of auto-antibodies circulating in their blood, about 5 to 10 times the level in controls.

20 Nov 2010

Research suggests new therapeutic approach to prevent transplant rejection

UCLA researchers have pinpointed the culprit behind chronic rejection of heart, lung and kidney transplants. Published in the Nov. 23 edition of Science Signaling, their findings suggest new therapeutic approaches for preventing transplant rejection and sabotaging cancer growth.

19 Nov 2010

Medicare committee recommends expensive drug for some prostate-cancer patients

A new treatment for prostate cancer called Provenge won a vote of confidence from a Medicare coverage advisory committee Wednesday, suggesting the federal program is likely to pay for the $93,000-per-patient medicine.

19 Nov 2010