Immune System News and Research

RSS

Common genetic variation in HLA region associated with late-onset sporadic Parkinson's disease: Research

A team of researchers has discovered new evidence that Parkinson's disease may have an infectious or autoimmune origin. "Common genetic variation in the HLA region is associated with late-onset sporadic Parkinson's disease" appears online in Nature Genetics.

16 Aug 2010

CD31 positive cells have potential for treating peripheral artery disease: Research

Isolating cells from a patient's blood or bone marrow that nourish blood vessels may be a safer and less arduous route to treatment of cardiovascular disease than obtaining rare stem cells, according to research from Emory University School of Medicine. In recent clinical trials, doctors in several countries have tested the ability of a patient's bone marrow cells to repair damage, such as heart attacks and peripheral artery disease, created by problems of blood flow.

16 Aug 2010

Obesity diabetes link found

Melbourne researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute have found that inflammatory cells in fat tissue cause the body to become resistant to the effects of insulin – a common precursor to type II diabetes.

16 Aug 2010

Study identifies use of acetaminophen may increase asthma symptoms in adults

New evidence linking the use of acetaminophen to development of asthma and eczema suggests that even monthly use of the drug in adolescents may more than double risk of asthma in adolescents compared to those who used none at all; yearly use was associated with a 50 percent increase in the risk of asthma.

13 Aug 2010

A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network, Institut M-rieux and bioM-rieux partner in TB research

An investment of S$3 million is being pumped into tuberculosis (TB) research by A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), bioindustrial group Institut M-rieux and its in vitro diagnostics company bioM-rieux. The project, which involves setting up a joint laboratory in Biopolis, Singapore aims to investigate and identify novel biomarkers that could allow early identification of individuals at risk of TB disease development and disease reactivation. This could lead to better diagnosis and treatment for the highly contagious disease.

13 Aug 2010

Severe inflammatory response to initial UTI causes bladder damage: Research

The immune system may open the door to recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) by overdoing its response to an initial infection, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found.Researchers showed in mice that severe inflammatory responses to an initial UTI cause bladder damage and allow infection to persist longer. After one to two weeks of infection, the bladder wall undergoes additional changes that leave mice more vulnerable to later infection. Suppressing the immune system during initial infection decreases these vulnerabilities, they report Aug. 12 in PLoS Pathogens.

13 Aug 2010

Exposure to immune proteins during pregnancy increases risk for schizophrenia in offspring

Infections like the flu are common occurrences during pregnancy, and research has shown that children born to mothers who suffered from flu, viruses and other infections during pregnancy have about a 1.5 to 7 times increased risk for schizophrenia. A new study out of Temple University examines what's behind that link.

13 Aug 2010

Human Immune Phenotyping Centers to receive NIAID grants for research

A new nationwide research initiative has been launched to define changes in the human immune system, using human and not animal studies, in response to infection or to vaccination. Six U. S.-based Human Immune Phenotyping Centers will receive a total of $100 million over five years to conduct this research.Funding for the centers is provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. Support for the first year of this initiative will come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

12 Aug 2010

University of Maryland receives grant from NCRR to acquire superconducting NMR spectrometer

The University of Maryland, in partnership with the University of Maryland, Baltimore and University of Maryland Baltimore County, has received a $7.9 million federal grant to acquire a superconducting 950 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) magnet that will help researchers unravel the mysteries of molecules and develop new agents to treat cancer, AIDS and other diseases.

12 Aug 2010

Scientists find therapeutic potential of stem cells for acute lung injury

Researchers are reporting this week new study results they say provide further evidence of the therapeutic potential of stem cells derived from bone marrow for patients suffering from acute lung injury, one of the most common causes of respiratory failure in intensive care units.

12 Aug 2010

Chimpanzee adenoviruses can be used as vaccine vectors: Research

In recent years, scientists have studied the possibility of using engineered human adenoviruses as vaccines against diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. In this approach, adenoviruses, which commonly cause respiratory-tract infections, are rendered relatively harmless before they are used as vectors to deliver genes from pathogens, which in turn stimulate the body to generate a protective immune response.

12 Aug 2010

Needle-free natural vaccine against malaria: Research

A study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine proposes that preventative treatment with affordable and safe antibiotics in people living in areas with intense malaria transmission has the potential to act as a 'needle-free' natural vaccine against malaria and may likely provide an additional valuable tool for controlling and/or eliminating malaria in resource-poor settings.

12 Aug 2010

USPTO allows Regulus Therapeutics' claims of key Tuschl III patent covering Mir-155

Regulus Therapeutics Inc. announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has allowed claims in a patent application (US Serial No. 12/550,579) derived from the "Tuschl III" patent series. The allowed claims relate to human microRNA miR-155, a microRNA that is a potential target for immuno-inflammatory indications, and a lead program of the Regulus-GSK Strategic Alliance.

11 Aug 2010

NKTreg white blood cells migrate into liver, suppress immune responses: Research

After a transplant - and to assure that the new organ is not rejected - patients are put on life-long therapy to suppress their immune system, which, nevertheless, needs to be left intact enough to be able to defend the body against all kinds of disease. A tricky balance as the many rejected organs attest. But a discovery by Maria Monteiro and Luis Graça, two Portuguese scientists, could change all this, at least for the liver.

11 Aug 2010

Protagen granted Notice of Allowance in Japan for key method patent for identifying and selecting clones

Protagen AG, a specialist for in-vitro diagnostics and GMP-compliant protein analysis, announced today that it received a Notice of Allowance by the Japanese Patent Office stating a favourable decision for the patent application 2000-547262 developed at the Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, Germany. This patent claims broadly a method for identifying and selecting clones relating to the basic UNIclone® technology and is already granted in Europe with the publication number EP1073770 B1.

11 Aug 2010

Ancient immunoglobulin study explains evolution of human intestinal immune responses

A study at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine has identified the function of one of the earliest antibodies in the animal kingdom, an ancient immunoglobulin that helps explain the evolution of human intestinal immune responses. It was discovered to play a predominant role in the guts of fish and paves the way for a better understanding of human gut immunity as well as for safer, healthier approaches to keeping fish from pathogen infections. The findings appear in the online version of Nature Immunology and will be featured on the cover of the September issue.

11 Aug 2010

Enriched breakfast re-energizes children's morning rituals and boosts learning potential

As the lazy days of summer vacation begin to come to a close, it's time to start thinking about re-formulating and re-energizing morning rituals that can help boost your child's learning potential.

11 Aug 2010

FDA approves longer Valcyte therapy for CMV disease in adult kidney transplant patients

Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved increasing the length of therapy with Valcyte (valganciclovir hydrochloride) in adult kidney transplant patients at high risk for cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease.

11 Aug 2010

Study suggests zinc supplementation may reduce pneumonia risk

A high proportion of nursing facility residents were found to have low serum (blood) zinc concentrations during an observational study funded by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the National Institute of Aging. The scientists found that those with normal blood zinc concentrations were about 50 percent less likely to develop pneumonia than those with low concentrations.

11 Aug 2010

Study results provide rationale for use of PI3K inhibitors in therapeutic settings

Research at the Babraham Institute, investigating how white blood cells known as B cells develop, has revealed that genes from the Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase family of enzymes are critical in enabling the B cells to produce antibodies in the spleen and lymph nodes.

10 Aug 2010

Immune System News and Research

Common genetic variation in HLA region associated with late-onset sporadic Parkinson's disease: Research

CD31 positive cells have potential for treating peripheral artery disease: Research

Obesity diabetes link found

Study identifies use of acetaminophen may increase asthma symptoms in adults

A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network, Institut M-rieux and bioM-rieux partner in TB research

Severe inflammatory response to initial UTI causes bladder damage: Research

Exposure to immune proteins during pregnancy increases risk for schizophrenia in offspring

Human Immune Phenotyping Centers to receive NIAID grants for research

University of Maryland receives grant from NCRR to acquire superconducting NMR spectrometer

Scientists find therapeutic potential of stem cells for acute lung injury

Chimpanzee adenoviruses can be used as vaccine vectors: Research

Needle-free natural vaccine against malaria: Research

USPTO allows Regulus Therapeutics' claims of key Tuschl III patent covering Mir-155

NKTreg white blood cells migrate into liver, suppress immune responses: Research

Protagen granted Notice of Allowance in Japan for key method patent for identifying and selecting clones

Ancient immunoglobulin study explains evolution of human intestinal immune responses

Enriched breakfast re-energizes children's morning rituals and boosts learning potential

FDA approves longer Valcyte therapy for CMV disease in adult kidney transplant patients

Study suggests zinc supplementation may reduce pneumonia risk

Study results provide rationale for use of PI3K inhibitors in therapeutic settings

Immunology eBook

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Latest News