Immune System News and Research

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Novartis Oncology, Amgen, GlaxoSmithKline and Veridex honored with 2009 Prix Galien Award

The Prix Galien USA committee celebrated members of the science and biotechnology industries last night for the development and discovery of drugs and technologies that improve the human condition.

1 Oct 2009

Membrane-bound Fas ligand is essential for cell death: Researchers

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers have put an end to a 10-year debate over which form of a molecular messenger called Fas ligand is responsible for killing cells during programmed cell death (also called apoptosis).

1 Oct 2009

Medicaid members to receive cover for administration cost of the H1N1 vaccine from WellCare

WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) announced it will cover the full cost of administration of the H1N1 vaccine as a preventative care benefit for Medicare Advantage, Medicare private fee-for-service (PFFS) and Medicaid plan members when it becomes available to the public.

1 Oct 2009

Swine flu vaccine distribution plan for Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Department of Health today discussed the state's distribution plans for the new pandemic H1N1 vaccine.

1 Oct 2009

Grants to research GanedenBC30 probotic effect on human immune cells

Ganeden Biotech Inc., makers of the patented probiotic strain GanedenBC30® (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086), today announced two grants for early investigators.

1 Oct 2009

Poll reveals that 43% of American adults undecided about getting the swine flu vaccine

According to a new Consumer Reports poll, 43 percent of American adults say they're on the fence about getting the swine flu vaccine and just 34 percent of those polled plan on getting the swine flu vaccine when it becomes available. Additionally, a mere 35 percent of parents say they'll definitely have their children vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all children over the age of 6 months get the vaccine.

1 Oct 2009

Emergent BioSolutions receives NIAID funding support for dmPA7909 anthrax vaccine candidate

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced today that it was awarded a cooperative agreement from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, to further the development of one of Emergent’s advanced anthrax vaccine candidates known as dmPA7909.

30 Sep 2009

Immunocellular Therapeutics' pilot study can help in early cancer detection

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. (OTCBB: IMUC), a clinical-stage biotechnology company that is developing immune-based therapies for the treatment of brain and other cancers, announced today results from its pilot study evaluating the cancer detection abilities of one of its lead monoclonal antibody product candidates, ICT-109. Data from this study demonstrated that ICT-109 had a statistically significant ability to discriminate between cancerous and non-cancerous samples, suggesting the potential to detect pancreatic and lung cancer in plasma and serum study sets.

30 Sep 2009

Presentations on seasonal influenza and H1N1 viruses

Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar hosted a detailed talk about a virus that's causing concern around the world. The recent cause of an interruption in local school openings, H1N1 information was presented in timely fashion by Dr. Abdullatif Al-Khal, head of the communicable disease unit at Hamad Medical Corporation, and Dr. Ravinder Mamtani, Professor of Public Health at WCMC-Q.

30 Sep 2009

Genetic factors play an important role in the development of type 1 diabetes

Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Anette Ziegler, scientists of the Diabetes Research Group at Helmholtz Zentrum München and Technische Universität München investigated the formation of antibodies to a zinc transporter in children with elevated risk for type 1 diabetes. The study provided indications of an early onset of the disease when specific antibodies in the blood and specific variants of the associated zinc transporter are present in the genome.

30 Sep 2009

New research may enhance the treatment for blood cancer in children

Acute lymphatic leukemia is the most common form of blood cancer in children. Even though chemotherapy is improving, the cancer often returns. Johan Jansson's research at Kalmar University in Sweden shows that cancer cells that have been exposed to chemotherapy and survived are less vulnerable to chemotherapy, and more aggressive as well. But this research also yielded discoveries that should be able to enhance our treatment of the disease.

30 Sep 2009

Therapeutic target for acute respiratory distress syndrome identified

Research led by Dr. Jay Kolls, Professor and Chairman of Genetics at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has identified a therapeutic target for acute lung injury resulting in acute respiratory distress syndrome, a highly fatal complication of influenza infection.

30 Sep 2009

Reuters examines how HIV vaccine trial results will guide future studies

Reuters reports on how the results of an experimental AIDS vaccine, which showed modest potential for preventing infection, are leading researchers back "to the drawing board" as they try to better understand how the AIDS vaccine works.

30 Sep 2009

Study reveals that most Americans will refuse FDA authorized emergency use H1N1 flu vaccine

A majority of Americans would not take an H1N1 flu vaccine or drug additive authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration, according to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and University of Georgia study. The study, available online today in Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science, found that fewer than 10 percent of those surveyed said they would be willing to take such a vaccine or drug and nearly 30 percent remained undecided.

30 Sep 2009

Leptin can determine osteoarthritis in obese patients

The link between obesity and osteoarthritis may be more than just the wear and tear on the skeleton caused by added weight.

29 Sep 2009

Hookworms can prevent asthma

A study conducted in Vietnam has added further weight to the view that parasitic gut worms, such as hookworm, could help in the prevention and treatment of asthma and other allergies.

29 Sep 2009

Combined immunodeficiency results in severe health problems

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified a genetic mutation that accounts for a perplexing condition found in people with an inherited immunodeficiency. The disorder, called combined immunodeficiency, is characterized by a constellation of severe health problems, including persistent bacterial and viral skin infections, severe eczema, acute allergies and asthma, and cancer.

28 Sep 2009

$1.3 million fund awarded to WPI for ongoing life sciences research

Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute's (WPI) Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center at Gateway Park have received a total of $1.3 million in new awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund ongoing research in several areas of the life sciences, including a study of the bacterium that causes tuberculosis, work aimed at using adult stem cells to repair damaged hearts, and a project that seeks to create engineered blood vessels.

28 Sep 2009

Misregulation of SPAK protein may contribute to B-cell lymphoma development

A group led by Dr. Michael Teitell at UCLA has demonstrated that misregulation of the protein SPAK may contribute to B-cell lymphoma development. Their report can be found in the October 2009 issue of the American Journal of Pathology.

28 Sep 2009

Phase 2 clinical trial results of IMO-2055 announced

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced the presentation of final data from a clinical trial evaluating IMO-2055, an agonist of Toll-like Receptor (TLR) 9, as monotherapy in patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC). The data are being presented during the Eighth International Kidney Cancer Symposium being held in Chicago, September 25-26, 2009.

28 Sep 2009