Immune System News and Research

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Positive results from Oncolytics' combination REOLYSIN-docetaxel Phase I trial in advanced cancer

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. announced today that a paper entitled "REO-10: A Phase I Study of Intravenous Reovirus and Docetaxel in Patients with Advanced Cancer," was recently published by Comins et al in the journal Clinical Cancer Research (Clin Cancer Res 16(22):5564-5572).

29 Nov 2010

Depressed and suicidal individuals linked to low levels of stress hormone cortisol

Depressed and suicidal individuals have low levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their blood and saliva. They also have substances in their spinal fluid that suggest there is increased inflammation in the brain. These findings could help to develop new methods for diagnosing and treating suicidal patients.

29 Nov 2010

Overexposure to triclosan may negatively influence immune system: Study

Young people who are overexposed to antibacterial soaps containing triclosan may suffer more allergies, and exposure to higher levels of Bisphenol A among adults may negatively influence the immune system, a new University of Michigan School of Public Health study suggests.

29 Nov 2010

Superantigens can disrupt immune system, can cause more illnesses

Superantigens, the toxins produced by staphylococcus bacteria, are more complex than previously believed, reveals a team of researchers from the University of Gothenburg in an article published today in the scientific journal Nature Communications. Their discovery shows that the body's immune system can cause more illnesses than realised.

29 Nov 2010

JAK3 pathway highlighted as leukemia target

An intriguing study published in Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy has revealed that the signaling protein JAK3 represents a viable target in the treatment of a broad range of B-lineage cancers, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

28 Nov 2010

Researchers synthesize iron compounds that inhibit growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

A team of researchers from Spain and Latin America have synthesized two iron compounds that inhibit the in vitro growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. Due their low level of toxicity in mammel cells, the compounds could be used in the future as therapeutic agents and hospital disinfectants.

26 Nov 2010

Léger Marketing survey shows substance abuse problems are major concern for Quebecers

More than one in eight Quebecers think drug and alcohol dependency problems are public health issues of concern. In the Léger Marketing survey "Quebecers and Substance Abuse," released today as part of Drug Awareness Week, half of respondents say they are affected by substance abuse problems among those around them.

26 Nov 2010

Looking back and moving forward: 100 years of Pneumococcal vaccination

"Since the introduction of smallpox vaccination by Sir Edward Jenner in 1796, it took 184 years until the WHO could declare the world free of smallpox. How long will it take to eliminate pneumococcus from the world?"

25 Nov 2010

Use of aspirin and statins can reduce depression: Study

A study that appears in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics addresses the association between use of aspirin and statins and the risk of major depression.

25 Nov 2010

Immunity-enhancing probiotics may be the best line of defense for good health

Good bacteria, bad bacteria, billions of bacteria—sounds downright germy. But the truth is that research in gut health is germinating more insight into the role bacteria, also known as "probiotics," play in our overall health and wellness.

25 Nov 2010

Collective efforts in transplantation reduces risk of treatment-related complications in blood cancer

A decade of refinements in marrow and stem cell transplantation to treat blood cancers significantly reduced the risk of treatment-related complications and death, according to an institutional self-analysis of transplant-patient outcomes conducted at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

25 Nov 2010

Dendritic cell vaccine induces immune responses in patients

A new process for creating a personalized vaccine may become a crucial tool in helping patients with colorectal cancer develop an immune response against their own tumors. This dendritic cell (DC) vaccine, developed at Dartmouth and described in a research paper published this week in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, was used after surgical resection of metastatic tumors to try to prevent the growth of additional metastases.

25 Nov 2010

How HIV kills CD4 T cells

Researchers appear to have an explanation for a longstanding question in HIV biology: how it is that the virus kills so many CD4 T cells, despite the fact that most of them appear to be "bystander" cells that are themselves not productively infected. That loss of CD4 T cells marks the progression from HIV infection to full-blown AIDS, explain the researchers who report their findings in studies of human tonsils and spleens in the November 24th issue of Cell, a Cell Press publication.

25 Nov 2010

DSM wins Most Innovative Health Ingredient Award

DSM Nutritional Products triumphed at this year's HiE Excellence Awards with Fruitflow® - the first natural, scientifically substantiated solution for the promotion of healthy blood flow. As well as winning the Most Innovative Health Ingredient Award, DSM also won an Excellence Award in the category of Heart Health.

25 Nov 2010

Cannabis compounds trigger immune cells that promote cancer growth

An international team of immunologists studying the effects of cannabis have discovered how smoking marijuana can trigger a suppression of the body's immune functions. The research, published in the European Journal of Immunology, reveals why cannabis users are more susceptible to certain types of cancers and infections.

25 Nov 2010

RCSI review highlights development in drug discovery field

A research review carried out by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and published in 'Nature Reviews and Drug Discovery' (October 2010) has highlighted the lessons, opportunities and recent developments in the area of drug development for cardiovascular disease, auto-immune disorders and multiple sclerosis.

25 Nov 2010

Scientists reveal long-standing mystery about HIV infection

Scientists at Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology have solved a long-standing mystery about HIV infection-namely how HIV promotes the death of CD4 T cells.

25 Nov 2010

DFG announces establishment of eleven new Collaborative Research Centres

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) will establish eleven new Collaborative Research Centres (CRC) as of 1 January 2011. This decision was made recently by the responsible Grants Committee at its autumn meeting in Bonn. The new CRCs will receive a total of - 94.4 million (including a 20 percent programme allowance for indirect project costs) for an initial funding period of four years.

24 Nov 2010

Radical change to Alzheimer’s management

The first disease-modifying drugs are expected to launch from 2013, radically changing the way Alzheimer’s disease is treated. With the potential to successfully slow or halt the progression of Alzheimer’s, blockbuster revenues are beckoning for such pipeline drugs, claims independent market analyst, Datamonitor.

23 Nov 2010

USPTO, EPO issue key patents for Tekmira's LNP technology

Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a leading developer of RNA interference therapeutics, announced today that the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) and the European Patent Office (EPO) have issued key patents covering elements of Tekmira's leading lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology, which is used to deliver nucleic acid therapeutics, including small interfering RNA (siRNA).

23 Nov 2010