Immune System News and Research

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Alemtuzumab as effective as other more expensive immune suppressants for kidney transplants

In the first head-to-head comparison of the three most common drugs used at the time of a kidney transplant to prevent organ rejection, researchers found that the least expensive drug - at one-half to one-fifth the price - is as safe and effective as the other two, according to a paper published by University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers in the May 19, 2011, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

19 May 2011

Children exposed to maternal smoking in utero have increased DNA methylation in AXL gene

Children whose mothers or grandmothers smoked during pregnancy are at increased risk of asthma in childhood, but the underlying causes of this are not well understood. Now a new study indicates changes in a process called DNA methylation that occurs before birth may be a root cause.

19 May 2011

Serpin-2 molecule may be a perfect target for preventing mosquito's immunity

Mosquitoes are becoming more resistant to current pesticides. That's troubling to Kansas State University biologist Kristin Michel, as it means malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases will continue spreading. A recent grant from the National Institutes of Health may change all that.

18 May 2011

Early childhood food allergies increase risk of severe allergy-related conditions and asthma later in life

Early results from the largest cross-sectional national allergy study ever conducted, to be released later this month, demonstrate that food allergies commonly occur in infants and toddlers, while environmental allergies, such as to dust, ragweed and mold, are more common in older children and adults.

From Quest Diagnostics 18 May 2011

Improved tissue grafts promote vascular growth in wound sites

Victims of third-degree burns and other traumatic injuries endure pain, disfigurement, invasive surgeries and a long time waiting for skin to grow back. Improved tissue grafts designed by Cornell scientists that promote vascular growth could hasten healing, encourage healthy skin to invade the wounded area and reduce the need for surgeries.

18 May 2011

CITN selects Cytheris' CYT107 for initial clinical trials at network institutions

Cytheris SA and the Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network, a new initiative in immunotherapy funded by the National Cancer Institute with its Central Operations and Statistical Center headquartered at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, today announced the selection of recombinant human interleukin-7, the investigational multifunctional cytokine under development by Cytheris, as one of the first immunotherapeutic agents proposed for initial clinical trials at network institutions.

18 May 2011

Cellular 'mechanic' keeps DNA damage in check in cells

CANCER RESEARCH UK scientists have discovered how a protein in immune cells plays an essential role in their development by repairing DNA damage - and if this protein is missing lymphomas can form.

17 May 2011

New avenue for treating breast cancer

Researchers at the CHUM Research Centre and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Australia have identified a new avenue for treating breast cancer.

17 May 2011

Gastroenterologists have limited knowledge of appropriate immunizations for IBD patients, study finds

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine, along with clinicians from Boston Medical Center, have found gastroenterologist knowledge of the appropriate immunizations to recommend to the inflammatory bowel disease patient is limited.

17 May 2011

New A+PSA assay more accurately detects prostate cancer

A new test for prostate cancer that measures levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) as well as six specific antibodies found in the blood of men with the disease was more sensitive and more specific than the conventional PSA test used today, according to a study by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

17 May 2011

World Health Assembly begins in Geneva

As the 64th World Health Assembly gets underway in Geneva, the body will consider "an array of subjects pertaining to reforms of the organisation and its financing, vaccines, fake medicines, and influenza pandemic preparedness, as well as communicable and non-communicable diseases," Intellectual Property Watch reports.

17 May 2011

New biomarker can predict breast cancer recurrence

Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center have discovered a new biomarker related to the body's immune system that can predict a breast cancer patients' risk of cancer recurrence.

17 May 2011

Novel topically-applied molecular microbicide protects women against HIV infection

Using a technique that silences genes promoting infection, researchers have developed a novel, topically-applied molecular microbicide capable of preventing HIV transmission.

17 May 2011

Pediatric researchers find potential tools for controlling cytokine storm

By analyzing complex interactions of the immune system in an animal study, pediatric researchers have found potential tools for controlling a life-threatening condition called a cytokine storm that may strike children who have juvenile arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.

17 May 2011

Super-resolution microscopy technique reveals how and why cell's defenses fail against plague

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed a super-resolution microscopy technique that is answering long-held questions about exactly how and why a cell's defenses fail against some invaders, such as plague, while successfully fending off others like E.coli.

17 May 2011

Hendra virus vaccine to be released soon

According to CSIRO’s early success with testing, the Hendra virus vaccine for horses could be available as early as next year. Hendra virus affects horses and is contracted through contact with flying foxes.

16 May 2011

Early HIV treatment can reduce transmission risk by 96%, preliminary study results show

Preliminary results from a multicountry clinical trial, sponsored by the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), show that HIV-positive people who take combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) can reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to their HIV-negative partners by 96 percent, U.S. researchers announced on Thursday " in what is being hailed as a breakthrough in HIV prevention," the Los Angeles Times reports.

16 May 2011

AIDS spread prevention by vaccine and anti HIV drugs

A latest vaccine against HIV/AIDS has shown to be effective in monkeys and has protected macaques the most widespread primate genus, against the monkey equivalent of HIV, Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). This could provide a fresh approach to an HIV vaccine, a study suggests. US researchers say the vaccine offered protection to 13 of 24 Rhesus macaques treated in the experiment. In 12 of the monkeys, the vaccine was still effective 12 months later.

15 May 2011

Milliman study finds health costs really are increasing

[T]he latest report from the green-eyeshade experts at Milliman does include a few surprises about what is — and isn't — driving [health care] costs higher. ... Last year, health costs rose by 7.3 percent, which is the slowest rate of increase in more than a decade. By comparison, though, the Consumer Price Index rose only about 1.5 percent last year.... So what's driving the increases?

13 May 2011

ZIOPHARM submits IND with FDA for Ad-RTS-IL-12 Phase I study in cancer

ZIOPHARM Oncology, Inc., a drug development company employing small molecule and synthetic biology approaches to cancer therapy, today announced that it has submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to begin clinical study of Ad-RTS-IL-12, a novel DNA-based therapeutic candidate.

13 May 2011

Immune System News and Research

Alemtuzumab as effective as other more expensive immune suppressants for kidney transplants

Children exposed to maternal smoking in utero have increased DNA methylation in AXL gene

Serpin-2 molecule may be a perfect target for preventing mosquito's immunity

Early childhood food allergies increase risk of severe allergy-related conditions and asthma later in life

Improved tissue grafts promote vascular growth in wound sites

CITN selects Cytheris' CYT107 for initial clinical trials at network institutions

Cellular 'mechanic' keeps DNA damage in check in cells

New avenue for treating breast cancer

Gastroenterologists have limited knowledge of appropriate immunizations for IBD patients, study finds

New A+PSA assay more accurately detects prostate cancer

World Health Assembly begins in Geneva

New biomarker can predict breast cancer recurrence

Novel topically-applied molecular microbicide protects women against HIV infection

Pediatric researchers find potential tools for controlling cytokine storm

Super-resolution microscopy technique reveals how and why cell's defenses fail against plague

Hendra virus vaccine to be released soon

Early HIV treatment can reduce transmission risk by 96%, preliminary study results show

AIDS spread prevention by vaccine and anti HIV drugs

Milliman study finds health costs really are increasing

ZIOPHARM submits IND with FDA for Ad-RTS-IL-12 Phase I study in 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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