Immune System News and Research

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Co-infection of HIV and HCV a significant health concern due to increasing prevalence

Researchers at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) have found that persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), who also have alcohol problems, were negatively affected by co-infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

28 May 2007

New gene therapy can nearly eliminate arthritis pain

Early-stage research has found that a new gene therapy can nearly eliminate arthritis pain, and significantly reduce long-term damage to the affected joints, according to a study published today in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism.

28 May 2007

Extracorporeal photopheresis may be effective in treating Crohn's disease

Results from an international multi-center Phase II clinical trial suggest that extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) may be effective in treating patients with clinically active (OR symptomatic) Crohn?s disease who cannot tolerate or are refractory to immunosuppressants and/or anti-TNF agents.

28 May 2007

Researchers engineer adult stem cells derived from human umbilical cord blood to produce insulin

The researchers announced their laboratory finding, which caps nearly four years of research, in the June 2007 issue of the medical journal Cell Proliferation, posted online this week.

28 May 2007

Flu vaccine patch a disappointment

A flu vaccine administered via a skin patch has produced disappointing results at a phase 1 clinical trial.

28 May 2007

Significant breakthrough in the search for an effective malaria vaccine

One person dies of it every 30 seconds, it rivals HIV and tuberculosis as the world's most deadly infection and the vast majority of its victims are under five years old.

24 May 2007

Immune antibodies penetrate neurons to clear Alzheimer's-linked amyloid

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have gotten much closer to understanding how immune-based therapies can treat Alzheimer's disease -- by studying how antibodies go inside brain cells to reduce levels of Alzheimer's-linked amyloid peptides that form plaques between neurons.

24 May 2007

Tool will revolutionise functional genomic studies in clostridia

The genome of the organism that produces the world's most lethal toxin has been revealed.

24 May 2007

New data on the probiotic strain Bifantis

The biotechnology company Alimentary Health has announced results from two studies that demonstrate the anti-inflammatory activity of a natural probiotic bacterial strain of human origin, Bifantis (Bifidobacterium infantis 35624), in models of arthritis and Salmonella infection.

24 May 2007

New understanding of how immune-based therapies can treat Alzheimer's disease

24 May 2007

T helper cells and depletion in HIV

Scientists have refuted a longstanding theory of how HIV slowly depletes the body's capacity to fight infection, in new research published.

24 May 2007

Novel preclinical gene therapy approach for treating Niemann-Pick disease

Genzyme Corp. has announced the publication of a new study in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describing a novel preclinical gene therapy approach for treating Niemann-Pick disease.

24 May 2007

FDA approves VELCADE plus DOXIL combination for multiple myeloma

Ortho Biotech Products has announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of DOXIL (doxorubicin HCl liposome injection) in combination with VELCADE (bortezomib) for Injection to treat patients with multiple myeloma who have not previously received VELCADE and have received at least one prior therapy.

23 May 2007

Cause of drug-resistant wound infections among soldiers in Iraq down to hospitals not battlefield

An outbreak of drug-resistant wound infections among soldiers in Iraq likely came from the hospitals where they were treated, not the battlefield, according to a new study in the June 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, currently available online.

22 May 2007

Macrophages may have role blocking obesity

Macrophages - the scavenger cells of the body's immune system - are known as troublemakers for the role they play in obesity, but Stanford University School of Medicine researchers have found that the cells can also be saviors when it comes to metabolism.

22 May 2007

Parkin protein protects neurons from stress induced cell death

Parkinson’s disease, also known as shaking palsy, is one of the most frequent diseases of the nervous system.

22 May 2007

New data on natural probiotic bacterial strain of Bifantis shows anti-inflammatory properties

The biotechnology company Alimentary Health today announced results from two studies that demonstrate the anti-inflammatory activity of a natural probiotic bacterial strain of human origin, Bifantis (Bifidobacterium infantis 35624), in models of arthritis and Salmonella infection.

22 May 2007