Immune System News and Research

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Personalized vaccine processed using tumor tissue promising for brain tumor treatment

Each day in the United States, 482 people are diagnosed with a brain tumor. For these 482 people, not many treatments exist. With the current treatments available, only 5% of those diagnosed with a Glioblastoma Multiform will survive more than 5 years. Only two new treatments have been approved by the FDA in the past two decades.

4 May 2010

Karolinska Institutet researchers discover new control mechanism in immune system

Researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have discovered a new control mechanism in our immune system. The discovery is of potential significance to the treatment of serious diseases such as MS (multiple sclerosis), rheumatoid arthritis, and SLE (Systemic lupus erythematosus).

4 May 2010

Immune system responds aggressively when looking at sick people

Just seeing someone who looks sick is enough to make your immune system work harder, according to a new study in which volunteers looked at pictures of sick people. This may help fight off pathogens, says Mark Schaller from the University of British Columbia who conducted the research. "It seems like it's probably good for the immune system to be responding especially aggressively at times when it looks like you are likely to be coming into contact with something that might make you sick."

4 May 2010

UCLM researcher explores employment status of HIV-positive individuals in Spain

Juan Oliva, a researcher at the University of Castilla-La Mancha explores the relationship between the employment status of Human Immunodeficiency Virus -positive individuals and socioeconomic characteristics in Spain between 2001 and 2004. The study finds that gender is a "statistically significant" variable when predicting employment status.

4 May 2010

Breast-feeding may help lower risk of death from Shigella infection in developing countries: Study

Teaching parents about the importance of continued breast-feeding may help to lower the risk of death from brain disease (encephalopathy) related to Shigella infection in developing countries, reports a study in the May issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.

4 May 2010

Novel combined immunotherapy promising for treatment of malignant brain tumors

A new Phase I clinical trial conducted at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute in Los Angeles shows that two innovative treatment approaches may safely be combined to treat patients with highly aggressive, malignant brain tumors called gliomas. The results suggest that combining the two therapies might boost their effectiveness and supports the pursuit of additional studies on this approach to treating these tumors.

4 May 2010

Natural plant extract could help treat COPD and inflammatory disorders

A widely and safely used plant extract acts as a novel anti-inflammatory agent that may one day be used for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, as well as other inflammatory conditions.

4 May 2010

Bacteria transmitted by fleas-and potentially ticks-can be passed to babies by mother: Researcher

A North Carolina State University researcher has discovered that bacteria transmitted by fleas-and potentially ticks-can be passed to human babies by the mother, causing chronic infections and raising the possibility of bacterially induced birth defects.

4 May 2010

Hormone-like inner ear signaling system protects against noise-induced hearing loss

An in vivo study shows for the first time that there is a stress-response system within the cochlea that mirrors the signaling pathways of the body's fight or flight response. Researchers have identified a hormone-like signaling system of the inner ear that sets baseline hearing sensitivity and helps protect against noise-induced hearing loss.

4 May 2010

Trajectory Health, HeartMath partner to deliver clinical stress management solutions to corporates

Dallas-based Trajectory Health, LLC has announced a partnership with HeartMath® to deliver clinical stress management solutions to the corporate marketplace.

4 May 2010

New breakthrough in nutritional plant breeding may save children’s eyesight

Two Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are part of an international team that has found a way to boost the nutritional value of corn. This has the potential to reduce the number of children in developing countries who lose their eyesight, become ill or die each year because of vitamin A deficiencies.

4 May 2010

Rush Center for Urban Health Equity to focus on disparities in heart and lung disease

Rush University Medical Center has been awarded a $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to establish the Rush Center for Urban Health Equity. The aim of the Center is to find ways to promote changes to eliminate the disparities in heart and lung disease affecting inner city residents, in particular those who are low-income persons of color.

4 May 2010

California community health centers face potentially crippling budget cuts

North Bay (Santa Rosa, Calif.) Business Journal: "While community health centers are widely seen as winners with the passage of a sweeping health bill in late March, such centers in California face potentially crippling state budget cuts, which could offset potential gains that won't take effect until 2014, according to clinic directors throughout the North Bay.

3 May 2010

Interim study results demonstrate anti-tumor activity of CytRx's INNO-206 in myeloma tumor cells

CytRx Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in oncology, today announced interim study results that showed its doxorubicin prodrug INNO-206 demonstrated statistically significant anti-tumor activity in human myeloma tumor cells growing in immune-deficient mice compared to a control group, while exhibiting significantly less toxicity than doxorubicin even though INNO-206 was administered at much higher doses.

3 May 2010

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics seeks FDA orphan drug status for ICT-107 dendritic-cell based vaccine for GBM

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics announced today it has filed an orphan drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its cancer treatment candidate ICT-107. ICT-107 is a dendritic-cell based cancer vaccine product which targets glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most prevalent, aggressive and malignant form of primary brain tumors.

3 May 2010

BioSante Pharmaceuticals reinitiates GVAX Prostate Cancer Vaccine development

BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that development of its GVAX Prostate Cancer Vaccine (GVAX Prostate) for the treatment of prostate cancer has been reinitiated. Manufacturing of new GVAX Prostate is in process, regulatory steps to lift the GVAX Prostate clinical hold prior to trial initiation are being taken, and prostate cancer patients are expected to be treated in a Phase II human clinical trial beginning in the fourth quarter of 2010 at Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.

3 May 2010

Belatacept preserves kidney function in transplant recipients better than cyclosporine, says study

Two-year results from phase III clinical trials show the experimental immunosuppressive drug belatacept can better preserve kidney function in kidney transplant recipients while preventing graft rejection when compared with the standard immunosuppressive drug cyclosporine.

3 May 2010

Leptin hormone controls immune’s response to sepsis: Study

The hormone leptin, typically associated with body weight regulation, works within the central nervous system (CNS) to aid the immune system's defense against sepsis, researchers say.

3 May 2010

Taking vitamin D supplements during pregnancy safe for mother, baby: Study

Taking vitamin D supplements during pregnancy is not only safe for mother and baby, but also can prevent preterm labor/births and infections, according to results of a randomized controlled study to be presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

3 May 2010

New research suggests tumor-secreted exosomes inhibit immune response, enhance tumor metastasis

Current research suggests that tumor-secreted exosomes inhibit the immune response, enhancing tumor metastasis. The related report by Liu et al, "Contribution of MyD88 to the tumor exosome-mediated induction of myeloid derived suppressor cells," appears in the May 2010 issue of The American Journal of Pathology.

3 May 2010

Immune System News and Research

Personalized vaccine processed using tumor tissue promising for brain tumor treatment

Karolinska Institutet researchers discover new control mechanism in immune system

Immune system responds aggressively when looking at sick people

UCLM researcher explores employment status of HIV-positive individuals in Spain

Breast-feeding may help lower risk of death from Shigella infection in developing countries: Study

Novel combined immunotherapy promising for treatment of malignant brain tumors

Natural plant extract could help treat COPD and inflammatory disorders

Bacteria transmitted by fleas-and potentially ticks-can be passed to babies by mother: Researcher

Hormone-like inner ear signaling system protects against noise-induced hearing loss

Trajectory Health, HeartMath partner to deliver clinical stress management solutions to corporates

New breakthrough in nutritional plant breeding may save children’s eyesight

Rush Center for Urban Health Equity to focus on disparities in heart and lung disease

California community health centers face potentially crippling budget cuts

Interim study results demonstrate anti-tumor activity of CytRx's INNO-206 in myeloma tumor cells

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics seeks FDA orphan drug status for ICT-107 dendritic-cell based vaccine for GBM

BioSante Pharmaceuticals reinitiates GVAX Prostate Cancer Vaccine development

Belatacept preserves kidney function in transplant recipients better than cyclosporine, says study

Leptin hormone controls immune’s response to sepsis: Study

Taking vitamin D supplements during pregnancy safe for mother, baby: Study

New research suggests tumor-secreted exosomes inhibit immune response, enhance tumor metastasis

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