Immune System News and Research

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GWAS finds new genetic link between Parkinson's disease and inflammation

A hunt throughout the human genome for variants associated with common, late-onset Parkinson's disease has revealed a new genetic link that implicates the immune system and offers new targets for drug development.

30 Aug 2010

David Mosser to discuss primary duty of macrophages at American Physiological Society conference

The term "macrophage" conjures images of a hungry white blood cell gobbling invading bacteria. However, macrophages do much more than that. Not only do they act as antimicrobial warriors, they also play critical roles in immune regulation and wound-healing. They can respond to a variety of cellular signals and change their physiology in response to local cues.

27 Aug 2010

Second-hand smoke triggers complex inflammatory response

Second-hand smoke is associated with a number of diseases and conditions, including cancer, heart disease, and emphysema. It is an irritant to lung tissue and blood vessels, but the processes through which the body reacts to second-hand smoke comprise a mystery scientists are only beginning to unravel. Researchers at the University of Colorado-Denver are currently studying how second-hand smoke affects the lungs of rats, and so far it appears that second-hand smoke triggers a complex inflammatory response.

27 Aug 2010

Nationwide Children's Hospital designated as Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative Research Center

A $7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will help researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital translate new scientific findings and technological developments into novel treatments for the muscular dystrophies. The grant designates Nationwide Children's Hospital as a Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative Research Center, one of three national award recipients in 2010.

27 Aug 2010

Researchers identify molecule to slow down dysfunctional immune response in hemorrhagic shock

Researchers have isolated a molecule, small enough to be used as a drug, that can shut down a dysfunctional immune response that causes deadly hemorrhagic shock, results in delayed death of heart attack patients, promotes rejection of transplanted organs and destroys joints in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, according to a paper published in Molecular Immunology.

27 Aug 2010

Researchers identify genetic risk factors of SLO, study provides insights on human nail diseases

The immune-mediated disease SLO can lead to severe claw problems in dogs. Researchers have now identified genetic risk factors underlying this disease. The obtained results that were recently reported in the scientific journal PLoS ONE can lead to increased knowledge about similar nail diseases that affect humans.

27 Aug 2010

FDA denies accelerated approval of Genentech's trastuzumab-DM1 (T-DM1) BLA for metastatic breast cancer

In its review of the BLA, the FDA stated the T-DM1 trials did not meet the standard for accelerated approval because all available treatment choices approved for metastatic breast cancer, regardless of HER2 status, had not been exhausted in the study population.

27 Aug 2010

U-M researchers explore prevention measures, treatments for C. difficile infection

Clostridium difficile, a wily, familiar bacterium, causes a growing number of serious infections in U.S. hospitals and nursing homes. With a $7.5 million, five-year award from the National Institutes of Health, University of Michigan researchers plan to discover what factors in the microbe and in patients make C. difficile a formidable, costly problem.

27 Aug 2010

FDA accepts Sanofi Pasteur's Menactra vaccine sBLA for active immunization of infants and toddlers

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for use of Menactra® (Meningococcal [Groups A, C, Y and W-135] Polysaccharide Diphtheria Toxoid Conjugate Vaccine) for active immunization of infants and toddlers for the prevention of invasive meningococcal disease caused by serogroups A, C, Y, and W-135.

26 Aug 2010

Pathogens can delay entry into cells to ensure their survival, say researchers

Pathogens make themselves feel at home in the human body, invading cells and living off the plentiful amenities on offer. However, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, together with colleagues at Harvard University, reveal an opposite strategy used to ensure infection success. Pathogens can actually delay their entry into cells to ensure their survival.

26 Aug 2010

Department of Health reports 2010's first human case of West Nile virus in Pennsylvania

The Department of Health today reported this year's first human case of West Nile virus in Pennsylvania. The individual is a 69-year-old man from Philadelphia County.

26 Aug 2010

Octapharma completes clinical development of Uniplas human pooled plasma

Octapharma AG, one of the largest private manufacturers of plasma products in the world, announced today that the clinical development for Uniplas® has been successfully completed. The product has been filed for registration in Europe and will be submitted later in the USA.

26 Aug 2010

CreAgri receives patent for Hydroxytyrosol for skin damage by UV exposure

CreAgri, Inc. announced today that the company has received a Patent by the Australian Patent Office, Patent Number 2003249719, which covers the protective effects provided by Hydroxytyrosol against skin damage caused by UV exposure.

26 Aug 2010

Researchers show biosynthetic cornea can stimulate regeneration in damaged eye tissue

A new study from researchers in Canada and Sweden has shown that biosynthetic corneas can help regenerate and repair damaged eye tissue and improve vision in humans.

26 Aug 2010

Worldwide conference to discuss increase in autism, help restore health

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released new estimates that one in every 110 children (1 in 70 boys) is diagnosed with autism. Autism has become more common in our children than cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined. Autism affects children from all socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds and places a tremendous economic burden on affected families and society at large, costing up to $3.2 million per child for a lifetime of care and over $35 billion in annual societal cost.

26 Aug 2010

CFHR5 nephropathy linked to genetic mutation in innate immune system

A rare form of kidney disease linked to a genetic mutation in the innate immune system has been identified by researchers funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Medical Research Council.

26 Aug 2010

Scientists create novel map of lipid locations in single cell

In real estate, location is everything. The same might be said of lipids - those crucial cellular fats and oils that serve as building blocks for cells and as key energy sources for the body.In a paper published in the September issue of the Journal of Lipid Research, a team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has mapped for the first time the actual locations of specific lipids within a single cell.

26 Aug 2010

Vitamin D may be effective in preventing allergies in patients cystic fibrosis, asthma

Vitamin D may be an effective therapy to treat and even prevent allergy to a common mold that can cause severe complications for patients with cystic fibrosis and asthma.

26 Aug 2010

Human umbilical cord blood cells appear to protect astrocytes from cell death: Research

Human umbilical cord blood cells (HUCB) used to treat cultured rat brain cells (astrocytes) deprived of oxygen appear to protect astrocytes from cell death after stroke-like damage, reports a team of researchers from the University of South Florida (USF) Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair.

25 Aug 2010

ZymoGenetics completes enrollment in Phase 2b PEG-IFN lambda clinical trial

ZymoGenetics, Inc. today announced enrollment has been completed in the Phase 2b clinical trial with PEG-Interferon lambda and ribavirin in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

25 Aug 2010

Immune System News and Research

GWAS finds new genetic link between Parkinson's disease and inflammation

David Mosser to discuss primary duty of macrophages at American Physiological Society conference

Second-hand smoke triggers complex inflammatory response

Nationwide Children's Hospital designated as Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative Research Center

Researchers identify molecule to slow down dysfunctional immune response in hemorrhagic shock

Researchers identify genetic risk factors of SLO, study provides insights on human nail diseases

FDA denies accelerated approval of Genentech's trastuzumab-DM1 (T-DM1) BLA for metastatic breast cancer

U-M researchers explore prevention measures, treatments for C. difficile infection

FDA accepts Sanofi Pasteur's Menactra vaccine sBLA for active immunization of infants and toddlers

Pathogens can delay entry into cells to ensure their survival, say researchers

Department of Health reports 2010's first human case of West Nile virus in Pennsylvania

Octapharma completes clinical development of Uniplas human pooled plasma

CreAgri receives patent for Hydroxytyrosol for skin damage by UV exposure

Researchers show biosynthetic cornea can stimulate regeneration in damaged eye tissue

Worldwide conference to discuss increase in autism, help restore health

CFHR5 nephropathy linked to genetic mutation in innate immune system

Scientists create novel map of lipid locations in single cell

Vitamin D may be effective in preventing allergies in patients cystic fibrosis, asthma

Human umbilical cord blood cells appear to protect astrocytes from cell death: Research

ZymoGenetics completes enrollment in Phase 2b PEG-IFN lambda clinical trial

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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