Immune System News and Research

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CFIDS Association applauds AABB for responding to questions about safety of general blood supply

The CFIDS Association of America commends the AABB (formerly the American Association of Blood Banking) for its actions to protect the safety of the nation's blood supply by recommending that blood collectors actively discourage potential donors who have been diagnosed by a physician with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS, also known as chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome, or CFIDS) from donating blood through the use of donor information materials made available at the donation site.

19 Jun 2010

Preclinical study shows treatment with DAS181 inhibits infection with multiple HPIV strains

NexBio, Inc. announced today the publication of a "Major Article" in the Journal of Infectious Diseases of a preclinical study showing that treatment with DAS181 (Fludase) inhibits infection with multiple human parainfluenza virus strains. DAS181 is a broad spectrum host-targeted investigational drug candidate for treatment and prevention of Influenza-Like Illness.

19 Jun 2010

Children's Hospital Boston receives $2.4M Gates Foundation grant to develop novel neonatal vaccines

Children's Hospital Boston announced today that it has received a $2.4 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant will support the development of novel vaccines for newborns – research that is spearheaded by Ofer Levy, MD, Ph.D., a principal investigator in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children's.

18 Jun 2010

Research on evolution of malaria parasite to develop improved control strategies

An international team, led by researchers at Imperial College London, have found that the potentially deadly tropical disease evolved alongside anatomically modern humans and moved with our ancestors as they migrated out of Africa around 60-80,000 years ago. The research is published in the journal Current Biology.

18 Jun 2010

Expression of BCRP in RA patients may indicate higher disease activity, predict resistance to DMARDs

The expression of a transporter protein called the Breast Cancer Resistance Protein in rheumatoid arthritis patients may indicate higher disease activity and could be a barrier to the effectiveness of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, according to the results of a study presented today at EULAR 2010, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Rome, Italy.

18 Jun 2010

MicroStockProfit releases investment report on Oncothyreon

MicroStockProfit.com announces an investment report featuring Oncothyreon Inc.. The report includes financial, comparative and investment analyses, and industry information you need to know to make an educated investment decision.

18 Jun 2010

Smoking cigarettes may influence RA disease progression: Study

Smoking cigarettes is a significant risk factor for developing rheumatoid arthritis and may have a negative impact on the effectiveness of anti-tumour necrosis factor inhibitors in RA patients taking these treatments, according to results of two studies presented today at EULAR 2010, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Rome, Italy.

18 Jun 2010

Researchers evaluate dental pulp cells as optimal source of iPS cells

Defined sets of factors can reprogram human cells to induced pluripotent stem cells. However, many types of human cells are not easily accessible to minimally invasive procedures. In a paper published in the International and American Associations for Dental Research's Journal of Dental Research, lead researcher K. Tezuka and researchers N. Tamaoki, H. Aoki, T. Takeda-Kawaguchi, K. Iida, T. Kunisada and T. Shibata all from the Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan; and K. Takahashi, T. Tanaka and S. Yamanaka, all from Kyoto University, Japan, evaluate dental pulp cells as an optimal source of iPS cells, since they are easily obtained from extracted teeth and can be expanded under simple culture conditions.

18 Jun 2010

One in three people with psoriasis do not receive proper treatment due to health insurance issues: Survey

Results from a new survey reveal that one in three people with psoriasis do not receive proper treatment for their disease due to health insurance issues—and many won't be helped by the new health care reform law.

17 Jun 2010

Biological mechanism associated with remission during pregnancy

During pregnancy, many women experience remission of autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and uveitis. Now, scientists have described a biological mechanism responsible for changes in the immune system that helps to explain the remission.

17 Jun 2010

Scientific American publishes article on "rebirth" of DNA vaccines

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that Scientific American magazine has published in its July issue an article entitled "DNA Drugs Come of Age." The article was co-authored by Dr. David Weiner, Chairman, Scientific Advisory Board, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, and Professor, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Matthew Morrow, a post-doctorate research fellow at University of Pennsylvania.

17 Jun 2010

VBL presents positive preclinical data on VB-201 for rheumatoid arthritis at EULAR

VBL Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to the development of novel treatments for immune-inflammatory diseases and cancer, today announced preclinical data demonstrating that VB-201 possesses anti-inflammatory properties and effectively reduced the symptoms of arthritis in experimental models.

17 Jun 2010

Implications for reducing clotting in kidney disease dialysis and sepsis

The interaction of the drug compstatin with two ancient, co-evolved human systems points to new ways for reducing clotting during dialysis for end-stage kidney disease and multiple organ failure due to sepsis, a dangerous whole-body inflammatory response to infection.

17 Jun 2010

Researchers assess effect of MDs on cardiac and endothelial cell proliferation, survival

A research team from McGill University (Canada) report a beneficial effect on cardiac function in mouse models when implanted monocytes - a type of white blood cell that is part of the immune system - helped preserve cardiac function following a heart attack (myocardial infarction).

17 Jun 2010

Researchers identify peptide that triggers diabetes

Researchers at National Jewish Health and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have identified the precise protein fragment, or peptide, that can trigger diabetes in mice. The finding, published in the June 15, 2010, issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, supports an emerging theory about the origins of autoimmunity, and may lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in humans.

17 Jun 2010

CINJ researchers combine series of vaccination injections to treat prostate cancer

Looking to harness the body's own immune system to target prostate cancer that has spread to the bones (metastatic) and is unresponsive to standard treatment, investigators at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey have just launched a clinical trial focusing on a combination of vaccine and radiation drug therapy.

17 Jun 2010

Studies suggest role for IL-10 in prevention and treatment of neurological disease in newborns

This bacterium, Escherichia coli K1, is the most common cause of meningitis in premature infants and the second most common cause of the disease in newborns. "The ineffectiveness of antibiotics in treating newborns with meningitis and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria require new strategies," explains Nemani V. Prasadarao, PhD, associate professor of infectious disease at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

17 Jun 2010

Experimental vaccine for Marburg hemorrhagic fever prevention shows promise for accidental exposures

An experimental vaccine developed to prevent outbreaks of Marburg hemorrhagic fever continues to show promise in monkeys as an emergency treatment for accidental exposures to the virus that causes the disease. There is no licensed treatment for Marburg infection, which has a high fatality rate.

17 Jun 2010

Researchers sequence genome of Amerindian strain of the gastric bug H. pylori

An international team of researchers led by scientists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have sequenced the genome of an Amerindian strain of the gastric bug Helicobacter pylori, confirming the out-of-Africa migration of this bacterial stowaway to the New World. Experiments in animals have highlighted how specific genes in the bacterial strain may be crucial to the onset of inflammation and disease.

17 Jun 2010

New biomarker study explores early detection of ovarian cancer

Despite many research advances, ovarian cancer remains lethal in a majority of cases, due to late diagnosis of the disease. In a new study, Dr. Joshua LaBaer of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, along with Arturo Ramirez and Paul Lampe, researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, used a novel method for identifying biomarkers-proteins in blood that can identify ovarian cancer before symptoms appear.

17 Jun 2010

Immune System News and Research

CFIDS Association applauds AABB for responding to questions about safety of general blood supply

Preclinical study shows treatment with DAS181 inhibits infection with multiple HPIV strains

Children's Hospital Boston receives $2.4M Gates Foundation grant to develop novel neonatal vaccines

Research on evolution of malaria parasite to develop improved control strategies

Expression of BCRP in RA patients may indicate higher disease activity, predict resistance to DMARDs

MicroStockProfit releases investment report on Oncothyreon

Smoking cigarettes may influence RA disease progression: Study

Researchers evaluate dental pulp cells as optimal source of iPS cells

One in three people with psoriasis do not receive proper treatment due to health insurance issues: Survey

Biological mechanism associated with remission during pregnancy

Scientific American publishes article on "rebirth" of DNA vaccines

VBL presents positive preclinical data on VB-201 for rheumatoid arthritis at EULAR

Implications for reducing clotting in kidney disease dialysis and sepsis

Researchers assess effect of MDs on cardiac and endothelial cell proliferation, survival

Researchers identify peptide that triggers diabetes

CINJ researchers combine series of vaccination injections to treat prostate cancer

Studies suggest role for IL-10 in prevention and treatment of neurological disease in newborns

Experimental vaccine for Marburg hemorrhagic fever prevention shows promise for accidental exposures

Researchers sequence genome of Amerindian strain of the gastric bug H. pylori

New biomarker study explores early detection of ovarian cancer

Immunology eBook

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 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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