Immunosuppression News and Research

RSS

Immunosuppression involves an act that reduces the activation or efficacy of the immune system. Some portions of the immune system itself have immuno-suppressive effects on other parts of the immune system, and immunosuppression may occur as an adverse reaction to treatment of other conditions.

FDA grants LifeCycle Pharma SPA for LCP-Tacro pivotal Phase 3 study in 'de novo' kidney transplant patients

LifeCycle Pharma A/S today announced receipt of agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on a Special Protocol Assessment of its pivotal Phase 3 study, Study 3002, for LCP-Tacro in patients, who have just received a kidney transplant.

12 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

Immunosuppressive properties of TNF blockers may increase risk of malignancy in children

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received reports of malignancies in children using tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers, raising concerns of an associated risk and prompting an investigation. Researchers from the FDA set out to identify all reports of malignancy in children using infliximab, etanercept, and adalimumab and their report is published in the August issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.

30 Jul 2010

TNF blockers may increase the risk of malignancy in children

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received reports of malignancies in children using tumor necrosis factor a (TNF) blockers, raising concerns of an associated risk and prompting an investigation.

29 Jul 2010

Athersys reports positive results from MultiStem phase I clinical trial in heart attack patients

Athersys, Inc. announced today positive results from its phase I clinical trial of MultiStem®, its allogeneic cell therapy product, administered to individuals following acute myocardial infarction (AMI), more commonly referred to as a heart attack. The study results, based on four months of post-treatment patient data, demonstrate that MultiStem was well tolerated at all dose levels and also suggest improvement in heart function in treated patients.

29 Jul 2010

New guidelines for care of heart transplant recipients from ISHLT

Since the dawn of heart transplantation in the 1960s, medical care of heart transplant recipients has varied from center to center and been guided by the experience of individual clinicians. The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) has made an unprecedented commitment by convening experts in all areas of heart transplantation to develop practice guidelines for the care of heart transplant recipients.

26 Jul 2010

Athersys, CSCRM and CWRU receive $1M to advance MultiStem therapy for SCI

Athersys, Inc. and its collaborators, including the Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine and Case Western Reserve University, announced today that they have been awarded $1 million through the Ohio Third Frontier Biomedical Program to support research into the treatment of spinal cord injury with MultiStem, Athersys' proprietary stem cell product candidate.

25 Jun 2010

Cyclosporine treatment develops higher de novo cancer risk in liver transplant patients: Researchers

Researchers at Erasmus MC University Medical Centre in The Netherlands found that cyclosporine treatment is a significant risk factor for the development of de novo cancer in liver transplant patients. Full details appear in the July issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

25 Jun 2010

Merck's DULERA Inhalation Aerosol for asthma receives FDA approval

Merck today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved DULERA® (mometasone furoate and formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Inhalation Aerosol, a new fixed-dose combination asthma treatment for patients 12 years of age and older. DULERA is not indicated for the relief of acute bronchospasm. DULERA combines an inhaled corticosteroid (mometasone furoate) with a long-acting beta2-agonist (formoterol fumarate).

24 Jun 2010

FDA grants Fast Track status for Genzyme's alemtuzumab development program for MS

Genzyme Corporation announced today that its alemtuzumab for multiple sclerosis development program has been granted Fast Track status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This designation covers patients with relapsing-remitting forms of the disease.

15 Jun 2010

Phase 3 clinical study: Ipilimumab boosts, sustains immune system responses against melanoma tumors

The Cancer Research Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the development of immune system-based treatments for cancer, announced today its celebration of a significant new breakthrough in the treatment of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. The new treatment, a cancer immunotherapy created by Cancer Research Institute Scientific Advisory Council Associate Director James P. Allison, Ph.D., is designed to "take the brakes off the immune system," and is the first treatment ever proven to extend life for patients whose melanomas are unresponsive to existing cancer therapies.

9 Jun 2010

The Iacocca Family Foundation and Kineta partner to develop Type 1 diabetes mellitus drug

Kineta, Inc. joined with The Iacocca Family Foundation today to announce a new investment partnership to speed development of Kineta's preclinical autoimmune drug candidate - ShK-186 - and its multiple applications to treat Type 1 diabetes mellitus.

7 Jun 2010

New clinical research findings on oncology to be highlighted at ASCO 2010

Researchers from University Hospitals Case Medical Center's Ireland Cancer Center will present new clinical research findings at the 46th Annual Meeting of The American Society of Clinical Oncology June 4-8 in Chicago.

5 Jun 2010

Mannitol improves effectiveness of HUCBs in neonatal rat models of cerebral palsy

The sugar-alcohol compound mannitol improved the therapeutic effectiveness of human umbilical cord blood cells injected into neonatal rat models of cerebral palsy, reports a new international study led by the University of South Florida. The mannitol opened the blood-brain barrier by temporarily shrinking the tight endothelial cells that make up the barrier.

2 Jun 2010

Researchers identify pattern of gene expression in kidney transplant recipients who don't need anti-rejection drugs

Researchers have identified a distinct pattern of gene expression in the largest reported group of kidney transplant recipients who have not rejected the transplant kidneys even though they stopped taking anti-rejection drugs. This finding may help identify other transplant recipients who could safely reduce or end use of immunosuppressive therapy. In 2008, more than 80,000 people in the United States were living with a kidney transplant.

31 May 2010

New data highlighting Pfizer's approach to cancer drug development to be presented at ASCO meeting

Pfizer Oncology will present new data highlighting the company's focused approach to cancer drug development through the identification and validation of molecular targets. These results will be presented at the 46th Annual American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago from June 4-8.

21 May 2010

Live malaria parasites in the skin shut down immune responses and block vaccine function: Study

Why one after another new malaria vaccine tests well in the laboratory but fails in field trials has frustrated legions of malaria researchers, and has been the main stumbling block to malaria eradication. Now, a research team from Germany has unraveled that puzzle and shown that the problem is all about the skin and how it controls the immune system. The implications are profound.

20 May 2010

Athersys presents data supporting MultiStem programs

Athersys, Inc. today presented data supporting its MultiStem® programs in cardiovascular disease, neurological disease and immune system modulation, and highlighted advancements in other areas, including progress in its drug development program in the area of obesity.

15 May 2010

Steroids can raise cardiovascular risks in post-transplant patients

Post-transplant patients who have been removed from a corticosteroid regimen have fewer cardiovascular events than those patients on steroids, increasing their graft survival rates and reducing early mortality, according to study results being presented this week by University of Cincinnati (UC) transplantation researchers.

10 May 2010

Novel combined immunotherapy promising for treatment of malignant brain tumors

A new Phase I clinical trial conducted at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute in Los Angeles shows that two innovative treatment approaches may safely be combined to treat patients with highly aggressive, malignant brain tumors called gliomas. The results suggest that combining the two therapies might boost their effectiveness and supports the pursuit of additional studies on this approach to treating these tumors.

4 May 2010